Healing Hearts
by riderofdragons
Summary: Epilogue up! The Hinata Crew is back from Molmol. Shinobu meets a mysterious man. The Hinata-sou gets some new tenants, and trouble is on the way. Please R&R! COMPLETE!
1. Guardian

A/N: Hi everybody. I just want to take a moment to say hello to anyone kind enough to read this fic. Anyway, I'm not new to fanfics, but I am new to writing them, so please keep that in mind. I would appreciate reviews, even criticisms, as long as they're constructive. That being said, please enjoy my first ever fanfic. Now for all the legal stuff.

Disclaimer: I don't own Love Hina. I wish that I did, but fate has given that honor to the good sir Ken Akamatsu.

Love Hina: Healing Hearts

Chapter One: Guardian

            The Hinata-sou was quiet for the moment. Naru and Keitaro had gone of to do research over at the Toudai library. Motoko was away at one of her many training retreats. Su was at some kind of after school club, something involving mecha or computers no doubt. Sara was off in Molmol with Seta and Haruka somewhere having a grand adventure. Kitsune had said something about going to the racetrack, but no one really knew for certain where she was at the moment. After receiving a letter from her mother, Mutsumi had headed back home to Okinawa.

            Shinobu sighed deeply as she watched the setting sun from atop the roof by herself. It had been nearly a month since their adventure in Su's home country of Molmol. An adventure, that in the recesses of Shinobu's mind lay the fantasy that it should have ended with her and Keitaro returning to Hinata-sou as a couple. She blushed at the thought as it rose unbidden. She pulled her knees to her chest and allowed another deep sigh to escape her. "It's not fair." She murmured sadly. "I know I did the right thing in sending Keitaro back to Naru, but it hurts so much." The wind gusted past her and blew her hair across her face. Shinobu wondered if she shivered from the chill of the breeze, or the emptiness in her heart. Either way, it was time to head inside.

            She headed down to the kitchen to begin the dinner preparations. While she contemplated the menu she would serve tonight in her mind she glanced over to the door to Keitaro's room. She hurried on quickly as she felt a familiar ache rise in her heart. She arrived in the kitchen a moment later and assembled her ingredients. As she began to cut her vegetables into more manageable pieces, she allowed her thoughts to wander.

            Upon returning to Hinata-sou, Keitaro had given Naru an official proposal and engagement ring. Shinobu, along with the others, had given their full support and best wishes to the couple. Secretly however Shinobu wished that she were the one with the small gold band on her finger. Then Naru had moved into Keitaro's room. It wasn't that that was such a big deal, the rooms were already connected via the hole in Keitaro's ceiling, but it seemed that that was what finally made it sink in for Shinobu. Every night, Naru got to fall asleep in Keitaro's arms.

            Shinobu cried out in pain and surprise as she cut her finger. She quickly ran to the sink to wash the cut and then to the bathroom where the first aid kit and band-aids were stored. After returning to the kitchen, she surveyed her ingredients once again. She muttered small series of insults to herself as she realized that she was missing a few. She glanced quickly at the clock. The others would be home in a little over an hour or so, if she hurried she could get to the market and back and have dinner started before the others returned. Quickly grabbing her coat and her purse, she made her way into town.

            She walked quickly down the streets of Hinata, eager to return home quickly and to get out of the chilly fall weather. She glanced her surroundings and realized that there was a short cut just up ahead she could take through and alley. She quickened her pace and headed in that direction. She was halfway through the alley when she realized what was happening.

            "My my my. Look what we have here." A tall boy stepped from the shadows. "Have you gotten lost little girl?"

            Shinobu gasped as three more figures began to appear behind him. She turned quickly and tried to run back the way she came. To her dismay she found the way blocked by another group. She looked back and forth quickly between the two groups, terror in her eyes.

            "Now that's not very nice." Said the boy as he stepped from the shadows. "I go and as you a question and you run away." He shook his head in disapproval. "That's not good manners."

            Shinobu felt her blood turn to ice water as the boy stepped forward. It wasn't his face that caused the reaction, but the emblem on his jacket. She had seen it on the news a few weeks ago. A woman had been savagely raped and beaten by a gang who had reportedly worn the same symbol. Shinobu looked around at the eleven lewd smiles that surrounded her and instinctively knew that this was the same group. She prayed silently to every deity she had ever heard of to help her, if not that, than to at least make her death quick and painless. At that exact moment a loud clang rang out from the end of the alley causing everyone to turn towards the sound.

            A lone figure stood at the entrance to the alley. The figure was dressed all in black, but other than that nothing more could be said, for the full-length trench coat and long hood hid everything that might have distinguished it. The figure raised a hand and pointed to gang leader, then to Shinobu, and then to the entrance.

            The gang leader stepped forward. "You want me to let her go?"

            The figure nodded.

            The boy laughed, a cold and hollow sound. "Well, get lost you gothic freak. We got her first, and I don't share with anyone outside my gang."

            The figure pointed to Shinobu and then the entrance once again.

            The boy laughed again. "You bore me. Leave now, and spare yourself the embarrassment."

            The figure seemed to tilt its head to the side for a moment, and then began to calmly walk forward.

            An evil smile spread across the gang leaders face. "You want to fight or something? Fine." He raised a hand to his buddies. "He's all yours guys!"

            Shinobu watched in horror as the ten men moved toward the figure in black. She also saw that her path was clear to run away, and tried to make a break for it. However, the gang leader caught her and easily overpowered her, forcing her to watch the carnage that was about to unfold.

            The first gang member rushed forward and threw a punch at the figure's cowled head. A punch that was caught single handedly, and squeezed.

            Even from nearly fifteen feet away Shinobu could hear the crunching of bones and the popping of ligaments. She watched as the man fell to the ground cradling his mangled hand, before passing out from the pain.

            The next man fared no better. His punch was caught as well, but he was pulled forward and walked into a counter punch that dropped him to the ground in a heap. The next didn't even have a chance to attack as a black combat boot covered foot connected with his chin sending spit, blood and teeth flying from his mouth before loosing consciousness. The remaining fighters paused now, uncertain if they wished to challenge their mystery opponent.

            The figure raised his hand to point to Shinobu yet again.

            "What the hell are you guys staring at?" demanded the leader. "Kill the son of a bitch!"

            The next two men attacked in unison hoping that numbers would give them they advantage they needed. Both men were on the floor in a moment's time, one with a broken nose the second with a dislocated shoulder. The five remaining men attacked as one, rushing the lone assailant together. Seeming to expect this move, the figure performed a spin movement, causing the tails of his trench coat to whip out quickly, catching all five men at the knees. The gang members fell to the street writhing in agony as multiple popping noises were heard. With no one left the figure turned his sight on the leader.

            Sensing that there was no chance of escape by running now, the leader pulled a small knife from his belt loop and pressed the blade against Shinobu's throat. "I don't know who the hell you are, but your not going to stop me! I'm leaving, with the girl, and you are going to stay right there!"

            The figure raised his black gloved hand one more time, but rather than point, it wagged it's finger. As if to say "no".

            The leader tightened the blade against Shinobu's skin.

            The black clad fighter spun once again.

            The leader screamed in pain as his arm fell to his side. He looked at his shoulder to see a _shinobi_-style throwing star firmly lodged into his flesh. "I can't move my arm! What have you done to me!?"

            Seizing the opportunity Shinobu ran from the man's grasp and hid behind her mysterious savior. She was surprised to see that it was much taller than she was. She looked back at the gang leader. He was on the ground seemingly having trouble moving.

The black clad figure then turned to face Shinobu.

            Terror once again filled Shinobu's being. This…person, had just saved her, but she now wondered if she hadn't jumped from the frying pan into the fire. She mental berated herself for not running when she had the chance. Her body stiffened instinctively as a gloved hand reached out to her and lifted her head. Wracked with fear, she could only comply with the action. 

It released her after only a second, and reached beneath its hood. When the hand reemerged it held a black bandana, which was then folded, and pressed lightly against Shinobu's neck. It then nodded to her.

Shinobu looked down to see a small line of blood on the cloth. She had not even realized that she had been cut! She took the small cloth and resumed pressure on the cut. The figure nodded to her, and turned to walk away. Despite her fear, Shinobu could not simply let this person walk away, and called out to him. "Wait!"

She circled around him and blocked his path. "Who are you? Why did you help me?" She looked up into shadows of the hood, and though she could see nothing, she could feel her gaze being returned. "No." she thought. "My gaze isn't being returned, he's looking through me. I can practically feel him gazing into my soul." She startled herself when she referred to person before her as 'him'. She had no way to prove that a man was beneath that hood, but she had a feeling she could not ignore.

At last the man spoke. "No one has asked my name before."

Shinobu gasped as his deep and almost hypnotic voice broke the tense silence between them. "I…I can't thank you properly if I do not know your name." She managed to stammer.

The man nodded. "Very well. I am Noman."

A puzzled look crossed Shinobu's face. "I…I suppose you won't tell me your real name, will you?" It was more of a statement than a question, but she felt it had to be asked.

The man shook his head.

Shinobu nodded, a little sadly. "I didn't think so." She bowed deeply. "Thank you very much for saving my life Noman."

Noman returned the bow with a small bow of his own. He reached into his pocket and pulled a small item from it, which he then handed to Shinobu.

The young girl looked down at the cell phone that was now in her hands. She looked up at him questioning him silently.

"Call the police." Noman instructed. "I have neither the time nor the patience to deal with these scum any longer." He stepped past her and began to walk away. "Tell the police what happened here, have your wound checked, and go home."

"Wait! You still didn't tell me why you risked your self to help me!" Shinobu called out to him.

Noman did not stop or turn around. "The prayers of pure souls should not go unanswered. Even if it is only one as unworthy as I to respond." With that he disappeared into the shadows of the alley.

Left alone with her one-time attackers, Shinobu did the only thing she could. She called the police and awaited their arrival.


	2. New Friends, New Enemies

A/N: Yay! Someone actually cared enough to leave a review! I would like to see a few more though. So if you read this, please leave something, be it good or bad. Anyway, on with the story.

Love Hina: Healing Hearts

Disclaimer: I don't own Love Hina, but I wish I did. Love Hina belongs to Ken Akamatsu, TV Tokyo, and a bunch of other people. But I'm not one of them.

Chapter Two: New Friends, New Enemies.

"Is he the one?" The first man asked.

The room was dark but for a single set of candles to each side of the chair the man sat upon. Even with the candles so close, they could cast enough light on the man's face, and he remained hidden in the shadows.

The second man was a few feet away bent down on the ground on one knee, also hidden in shadows. "I am not certain, My Lord."

"It is a simple question, why is it you cannot answer?" the first asked again.

The second man did not move. "The reports are too vague, he hides himself to well. It may well be him, but we cannot be certain." He paused a moment, weighing if he should speak further or not. "There may be a way of verifying if it was him or not."

"Go on." Ordered the first.

"The last report said he talked with the one he saved, that differs from his pattern, he may have a connection to her."

The first man nodded. "Watch her for a time, if he shows himself, you know what to do."

The second man nodded his bowed head. "As you command, My Lord." He rose and left first man by himself.

A moment later a third man appeared from the shadows. "If it truly is him, will he be able to do what is needed?"

"Of course not." Replied the first. "But he is the weakest of us, so he will be the hardest to detect. And if he happens to be lost to us, it is of little consequence." He rose from his chair. "In the mean time, the rest of you will prepare for the strike on our target in Kyoto."

***

Shinobu stood off to the side of the roof deck hanging the laundry. Out of the corner of her eye she watched Motoko as she trained. "I should ask her?" Shinobu whispered to herself. It had been almost two weeks since she had been attacked in the alley. Although she put up a brave front for the others, there were times that she was scared to go into town on her own. Whenever she had had to go shopping she asked Keitaro or one of the girls to accompany her, but that was making her feel childish, and she hated that feeling almost as much as she hated feeling helpless. So she had decided to try and change those feelings. "Motoko?"

The older girl turned and lowered her sword. "What is it Shinobu?"

Shinobu fiddled her hands in front of her. "I was wondering…I know I can't be as strong as you, but…do you think you could train me a little bit? Just for self-defense?"

Motoko smiled. "Of course, I would be happy to train you. Shall we begin tomorrow?"

Shinobu nodded enthusiastically. "_Hai_! _Arigato_!"

***

Keitaro descended the second floor stairs to reach the front door. "I'm coming! I'm coming! One moment!" He opened the door quickly, expecting to see a deliveryman or another police officer for Shinobu, instead a young girl greeted him.

"Hi there. Do you have any rooms for rent?" the girl asked.

"Umm, yeah. Come on in." Keitaro replied still slightly taken aback. He took a moment to gather his thoughts. The girl looked to be about eleven years old, though tall for her age. Her straight jet-black hair was tied into a single ponytail and fell to her mid-back. Her emerald green eyes stood out in stark contrast to her pale skin. She was dressed casually in an oversized green tee shirt with the words "Make 7" on the front, baggy jean shorts, and a faded blue denim baseball cap. He wondered briefly what "Make 7" meant. "So, what's your name?"

"Oh, right, sorry. I'm Hotaru, and you are?" the girl replied.

Keitaro introduced himself and was about to show her around the apartments when there was another knock at the door. He opened the door again to reveal a boy carrying a series of suitcases. "Umm, hi. Who are you?"

The nodded his head towards the girl. "The slave labor."

"_Onii-chan_! You're so slow!" Hotaru teased playfully.

Keitaro did a double take between Hotaru and the new boy.  The boy was nearly the same height Keitaro was, but looked younger. Although Hotaru had called him her brother, Keitaro couldn't see how that was possible. His skin was much darker than Hotaru's, a very deep bronze. He had blonde hair that was spiked high and straight up. It was only the presence of identical emerald green eyes that gave any hint of their relation. Although he was tall and thin, he was also quite muscular, that much was clearly visible despite his attempt to hide it with the baggy jeans and black leather jacket.

"I wouldn't have been so slow if you hadn't packed so much stuff you little twerp." The boy teased back. He turned to Keitaro. "Name's Ken. Now, please tell me you have a room available so I can stop carrying this stuff all over the city."

"Yeah come on in and we'll talk." Keitaro introduced himself and lead them inside to begin a quick tour of the dorm. He decided to show them the big selling point first, the open-air bath. "This way." He opened the door to the hot spring.

"Keitaro!" Naru yelled angrily as she sent the landlord flying with her patented punch.

"You pervert!" Screamed Motoko as she attacked Ken with her katana.

Hotaru watched in a mixture of amazement and fear as the two males were sent flying to the end of the hallway in a fraction of a second. "Holy…"

The other girls made their way over from the back of the bath where they had remained out of sight. They stood over the two unconscious boys. They knew that Keitaro would survive, but they realized that they might have just killed the other boy.

Su leaned in closer to Ken, staring intently at his face. "Hey! I know him!"

***

Ken opened his eyes to see an unfamiliar room, a moment later his view was replaced with an unfamiliar face.

"Oh good, you're awake." Shinobu smiled cheerfully for a moment before she became more serious. "How are you feeling?"

Ken sat up with a loud groan. "Like I was run over by a Mack truck. What the hell happened?"

Shinobu laughed nervously. "Motoko is very, how can I say this, defensive against men she doesn't know. When you walked in on us in the bath she…"

Ken gave a half-smile as he saw Shinobu having difficulty finishing the sentence. "Kicked the snot out of me?"

Shinobu laughed lightly. "Yes, I suppose so."

They introduced themselves to one another, and Ken slowly rose to his feet. "Well, I suppose I should find Keitaro and finish the rent contract stuff. Then be on my way before I need hospitalization."

For a moment Shinobu was worried that Ken was hurt more than he let on, then she saw the playful smile in his eyes. He was joking with her. She realized that she must still have a look of concern on her face and he was trying to make her feel better. It worked. "I think he's down in the living room. I'll show you the way."

The two teenagers entered the living room together and Ken took a quick survey of the occupants, making special note to stay far away from the crazy girl in the kendo uniform.

"Kenji!" Su cried out as she booted him in the face.

Ken promptly went flying across the room for the second time that day. "Ouch…"

Su laughed nervously. "Sorry. I was just so excited to see you again."

Ken groaned and sat up. "It's alright. How you been Su?"

Naru looked back and forth between the two tanned individuals. "You know each other?"

Su nodded enthusiastically. "Yep, we met at my palace in Molmol a few weeks ago. He was helping Seta and his crew get the excavation permits for the Toudai Ruins." She turned to Ken. "I still want to know how you convinced my dad to grant the permits though Kenji."

Ken smiled. "Ask him about it some time. And its just Ken."

"But he won't tell me!" Su cried unhappily. "Please tell me!"

"No can do I'm afraid." Ken stood and mussed the girl's hair. "That'll have to wait for another day." He turned to face Keitaro. "I was skeptical about leaving my sister in a dorm run by a guy, but Seta always spoke highly of you and it's clear that the tenants here are capable of keeping you in line, so I guess I can trust you to look out for Hotaru while I'm away."

"Thanks…I think." Replied Keitaro wondering if he had been complimented or insulted.

Ken nodded and smiled. "Right, so show me a price and a contract, and I'll get out of here."

"What's the big rush?" asked Kitsune. "You got somewhere else you'd rather be?"

Ken shook his head. "No, I just don't like the death glares I'm getting from your resident ninja chick over there." He nodded towards Motoko.

"What did you call me?!" Screamed Motoko as she rushed towards him with an unsheathed sword.

Matt easily dodged the attack and jumped over her. "Oh come on! It was a joke! Ole! By the way." He landed on the other side of her, just out of striking distance.

Keitaro quickly put himself between the two antagonists. "Anyway! Ken, you come with me and we'll get you on your way." Keitaro grabbed the other boy by the shoulder and dragged him from the room. Hotaru followed behind them quickly.

"Well that was certainly interesting." Kitsune mused aloud.

Motoko grit her teeth. "How dare he! I will teach him not to mock me."

"Motoko, please calm down." Urged Shinobu. "I'm sure he didn't mean anything by it."

Motoko however didn't hear these words, as she was already in pursuit of Ken.

***

Hotaru watched as her brother signed the rent agreement. "Are you sure I can't come with you?"

Ken placed a hand on her head and mussed her hair a bit. "Sorry kid, but the answer is still no."

"But why?" she pressed on.

Ken smiled, although there was a hint of sadness in it. "That's just the way that things are. Don't look so down, I'll visit when I can."

"Ken?" Keitaro interrupted. "You didn't leave an address where I can reach you if needed."

Ken nodded. "Yeah, I'm kind of between places at the moment. Just call my cell phone if something comes up."

Keitaro gave Ken a confused look. "Between places? Where are you staying?"

Ken shrugged and stood up. "Nowhere in particular. I was more concerned in finding a place for Hotaru than my own lodgings. I got to get going." He leaned down to give his sister a kiss on the forehead and turned towards the door.

Keitaro glanced over at Hotaru, a worried expression on her face. "Why not stay here?" suggested Keitaro. As he had expected Hotaru's face brightened considerably at the thought.

Ken turned back for a moment. "Tempting, but no. Another guy in a girls' dorm just seems too weird. Besides, I doubt the other tenants would appreciate that fact either. Especially, that black haired girl out there."

"Motoko's just a little nervous around new people, well, guys in any case." Keitaro replied. "And we can ask the others. You already know Su, and I don't think the others would mind at all."

Suddenly the door to Keitaro's room flew wide open, revealing a very angry looking Motoko. "Well I certainly do! I don't want this peeping tom living in the dorm!"

Ken pointed a thumb over his shoulder. "See? I told you."

Keitaro rose to his feet. "Come on Motoko. You heard him I bet, he has no where to go."

Ken gave him a blank stare. "I said nowhere in particular, not that I had nowhere at all."

Hotaru rushed over to where Motoko stood. "Please let _onii-chan_ stay! Just tell me what it will take to convince you. Anything at all."

"Hotaru?" Ken stepped forward.

"Please _onii-chan_? I want you to stay." The young girl looked close to tears.

Ken sighed and nodded, he couldn't stand to see his sister cry. "Alright." He turned to Motoko. "So, what do you say?"

Motoko was surprised by the almost frantic determination in the young girl's voice. She locked eyes with Ken. His eyes were strong and revealed nothing but the simple wish to keep his sister from crying. "Very well. Best me in combat and you may stay, but if you lose you must leave immediately."

Ken nodded. "Right, figured it would be along those lines. Lead the way lady."

Motoko clenched her teeth and tightened her grip on her katana. She stormed out of the room.

Ken raised an amused eyebrow and followed her.

Hotaru and Keitaro exchanged nervous glances for a moment before rushing after them.


	3. Another One?

Love Hina: Healing Hearts

Disclaimer: I don't own Love Hina, so please don't sue. I have no money to give to you.

Chapter Three: Another One?

She pulled her trench coat tighter around her lithe frame. She hated the cool fall weather, and standing hidden in the forest was not her idea of fun, but she followed orders. Know thy enemy; it was the first rule that he had taught them all, but now one had left them. Still, he didn't seem worried. He said he had faced them before, and was ready now to finish the job. So why did she feel so nervous? When she had been nervous in the past she had turned to him, but he was gone now. Even after their training, he had remained so kind to everyone, but then the incident occurred. After that he was gone, they hadn't heard from him since, but maybe they had found him now. She shook the thought away. He couldn't come home. He wouldn't allow it, not without heavy punishment. As much as she missed him, she didn't want to see him hurt any more than he already had been. She forced her mind back to the task at hand. She was here for surveillance reasons, not to daydream. She gripped her dagger, his dagger, tightly and returned her attention to the dojo. The wind gusted against her once again. She hated Kyoto in the fall.

***

Motoko stepped out the front door of _Hinata-sou_ with Ken a few steps behind. Behind him the rest of the household followed.

"I take it that this is your battleground of choice?" Ken asked with a small smile.

Motoko spun and unsheathed her sword. "Indeed. Are you ready?"

Ken nodded and bowed to her. "Ladies first."

Motoko felt her lip twitch slightly. She charged forward and slashed through him with a powerful follow through. Then Ken disappeared from view. She searched the grounds, but he was hidden well, then she saw where the others were looking. She brought her katana forward again to reveal Ken couched on the blade.

Ken waved at Motoko. "Lovely weather we're having, _ne_?"

Motoko clenched her jaw and allowed a low growl to escape. "Get…off…my…sword!" She gave the katana a powerful swing and sent Ken flying across the yard.

Ken flipped through the air and landed softly on his feet. He placed his hands in his jacket pockets. "You don't have much of a sense of humor do you?"

"I thought we were here for a duel." Motoko replied angrily. "Now fight me seriously!"  She charged him again and let fly a ferocious barrage of attacks.

Ken dodge back and forth with no effort at all.

The raven-haired warrior halted her attack and stepped back, breathing heavily. She stared down her opponent; he showed no signs of exertion at all. She did however notice two things. The first was that he was singing, it was soft, but present none the less. As irritating as it was that her opponent was singing during the battle, it wasn't what made her nervous. She was nervous because she could not sense his ki. In her training, she had learned to read ki; it was like seeing a rainbow on a white canvas, clearly visible. She had also learned how to hide her ki from others, but that left a void, like a single white blotch on a black background. Your opponent would not know your true strength, but they were still visible. But with Ken, it was white on white, nothing noticeable at all.

"We done already?" called Ken

"I'll show you!" Replied Motoko. "Secret Technique! Rock Splitting Sword!" Her ki blast raced toward Ken with amazing speed. Motoko felt a smile spread across her face, this match was hers!

Ken stood his ground, just as the blast was about to collide, it simple dissipated and vanished. Ken gave her an amused smile. "Well, that killed a few seconds. Anything else?"

Motoko stood speechless. She jumped in surprise a Ken appeared behind her. She felt the tips of his fingers tap gently at the back of her neck.

"If I strike here and now, you'd be totally incapacitated." Ken informed her.

Motoko realized what Ken was trying to do, but she still wasn't happy about this. "Alright already. I surrender. You win. You can stay."

Hotaru ran over and jumped up to hug her brother.

Ken turned to the others. "That is, if it's alright with the rest of you."

Everyone nodded.

Keitaro opened the door and motioned everyone back inside. "Welcome to _Hinata-sou_ you two."

***

Shinobu walked slowly up the steps to the roof, her mind occupied with everything and nothing all at once. She had been spending a lot of time up here lately she realized. There was something about being on the roof that she enjoyed. It made her feel peaceful. She hopped over the deck railing and climbed onto the roof. As she climbed higher she realized that someone else was already there.

Ken turned slightly as he heard someone walking up behind him. "Oh, _konbawa_, Maehara-san."

Shinobu blushed at the way he addressed her. "Please just call me Shinobu. Everyone else does."

Ken nodded. "Alright. Did you want to be alone up here? I can leave if you'd like."

Shinobu shook her head. "_Iie_, please don't leave because of me." She smiled warmly. "To be honest, I wouldn't mind having some company up here for a change."

Ken returned her smile. "In that case, I'll stick around for a little while longer then." He looked away from her and stared out over the city.

Shinobu sat down a few feet away from him. For a time she too gazed out over the city. She wanted to get to get to know Ken better, but she wasn't sure how to go about doing that. Aside from Keitaro, she really had very little experience talking with boys. She had been asked out once or twice while at school, but she had turned them down because she had become so nervous. She stole a quick glance from the corner of her eye in Ken's direction, and was slightly disappointed to see that he had not moved at all.

"It's beautiful isn't it?" Ken asked.

Shinobu startled. "What is?"

Ken pointed out over the city. "The view from up here." He smiled. "I had forgotten what it was like up here."

Shinobu turned her full attention back to Ken. "Have you been here before?"

Ken leaned back slightly and faced Shinobu. "Yeah, back when this place was an inn." He shook his head. "Damn…" he whispered. "That feels like it was a lifetime ago."

"It couldn't have been that long ago." Shinobu offered hopefully. "It's not like you're that old." She watched for his reaction. She had heard such sadness in his voice that she was concerned for him. He smiled at her, but it was a forced smile.

"True enough, only six-teen, but I suppose I'm just a bit jaded." Ken turned his gaze back to the city. "Still, at least this place has some good memories."

Shinobu moved a little closer to Ken. She knew something was bothering him, but she couldn't tell what. She had had many years to practice hiding her feelings, and she could usually tell when someone else was doing the same. "What kind of memories?"

A slight blush rose on Ken's face as he tried to keep his expression neutral. He failed miserably as a small smile appeared. "You promise you won't laugh?"

Shinobu nodded. "_Hai._"

Ken took a deep breath and let out a sigh. "When I was younger I came here a few times with my…caregivers for vacations. This one summer, I met a girl and became really good friends with her. We used to spend hours playing games together. We even found a little tunnel that lead up here." He patted the roof. "I can't even remember how many nights we fell asleep up here together just from watching the sunset and the stars coming out."

Shinobu watched him with unusually strong intensity. He had been smiling as he told her his story. His voice had been light as well, but it was all gone now. "What happened?" she asked softly.

"We spent a few summers like that, then one year she just stopped coming around." Ken shook his head a bit. "Never found out where she disappeared to either. The old lady would never tell me what happened even." He shook his head as a small, sad smile crossed his lips. "Pretty sad, _ne_? Getting all depressed over a crush I had when I was six years old."

Shinobu smiled and shook her head. "You'd be surprised what good company you're in. Ask Sempai about it sometime." She paused a moment before she continued. "If you two were such good friends, why didn't you go visit her or try to find her?"

Ken nodded. "I would have, but I didn't know her name."

Shinobu face faulted.

Ken laughed lightly. "That came out wrong. When we first met, she was very shy and wouldn't tell me her name. So I suggested we use a nickname instead. After a while we just used that like it was normal."

"I see." Said Shinobu. "What was her nickname then?"

Ken's smile returned once again. "Dawn. I knew her as Dawn." His smile disappeared once again. "I wonder though, if I had known her real name, I don't think I would have been able to see her anyway."

Shinobu was slightly startled by this statement. "Why is that?" Ken didn't answer her for a few moments, and Shinobu was afraid that she might have said something to offend him. Finally he spoke again.

"Let's just say that my old man didn't approve." Ken's voice was tense and angry. He remained silent after that.

Shinobu also remained silent, unsure of what, if anything, she should say. Luckily for her, Ken seemed to realize Shinobu's predicament.

"So what about you? How come you come up here?" Ken asked.

Shinobu shrugged. "I like it up here. It just makes me feel good to be up here." Shinobu paused a moment. "I know this will sound weird, but it's almost like being up here reminds me of something that I've forgotten."

Ken smiled. "It's not that weird." He looked down at his watch, and then stood up.

"Where are you going?" Shinobu asked.

"I've never lived in a dorm before, but my understanding of it is that everyone has to cook for themselves, so I need to go into town and pick up some groceries." Ken replied.

"Actually, we take turns cooking for each other, but I usually cook most of the time." Shinobu rose as well. "But as long as you're heading into town anyway, maybe we could go together?"

Ken nodded. "Sure, let's go." 

They headed down to the second floor where Shinobu retrieved her coat and purse from her room as Ken waited outside. From there they headed toward the large stone steps in front of Hinata-sou. However, once they reached the street Ken started walking in the opposite direction of the grocery store.

Shinobu tapped his shoulder. "We need to go the other way."

"I know, but I'm parked this way." Ken replied.

Shinobu simply blinked in confusion and followed along. A few moments later she watched as Ken sat astride an impressive looking motorcycle.

Ken smiled as he saw her staring. He extended his hand to her. "Come on."

She took his hand and accepted his help in situating herself behind him. "_Ano_, where are the handles that I hold on to?"

Ken glance over his shoulder. "There's only one set of handles. If you need to, just use me to help keep your balance, but you should be ok on your own." With that he pulled out into traffic.

Shinobu reacted out of pure instinct and terror to the quick acceleration and wrapped her arms around Ken's waist, holding on to him for dear life. When she finally opened her eyes again, she realized that they weren't traveling nearly as fast as she had originally thought and relaxed a little, but did not let go of Ken. She blushed realizing that this was the closest she had ever been to a boy. She could feel his muscular body beneath his leather jacket and she could smell the scent of his shampoo and…was that aftershave? Despite her initial fear, something felt very right about this situation to Shinobu, almost like a long forgotten memory that was half remembered. Before long they arrived at the supermarket. 

Ken parked and helped Shinobu off the bike. "You ok? I thought you were going to snap me in half you were holding on so tight."

Shinobu nodded sheepishly. "I just got startled is all."

Ken nodded and they headed inside. Each grabbed a small hand basket and began walking through the aisles.

"What exactly did you plan on getting?" asked Shinobu. 

Ken looked around, seemingly picking things at random. "I don't know, anything that looks good I suppose."

Shinobu sweat dropped. She remembered that the last time she had gone shopping with Naru she had used the same philosophy. Needless to say, meals that week were quite unusual. Still as she looked closer she saw that all the items that Ken selected would seem to tie into each other if put into the proper recipe. She also noted that all his ingredients were the highest quality brands, making them much more expensive than she was used to buying. She held back as Ken rounded the corner and checked her purse for the small envelope that Keitaro gave her every week. Keitaro had decided to leave Shinobu in charge of the grocery money after they had eaten nothing but instant ramen for a week because Kitsune had swindled him out of all his cash. She checked the contents of the envelope and sighed. It would be close, but she should have enough with her.

Ken poked his head around the corner. "Shinobu? You get lost back there?"

The young girl jumped as Ken surprised her and, not wanting to seem worried over money, quickly hid the money envelope. "_Gomen nasai_. I was daydreaming again."

The boy just smiled. "Nothing wrong with that. I'm just about done here. How about you?"

Shinobu nodded. "Almost, I just need a few more items." They quickly made a few final selections and prepared to check out when Ken doubled back. Shinobu followed after, and was shocked to see him standing before the alcoholic beverages section. "What are you doing?!"

Ken looked up at her in complete confusion. "_Nani_?"

"You can't buy anything from over here!" Shinobu flailed her arms wildly and only stopped for risk of sending her groceries flying.

Ken smiled, and selected two bottles of sake, before heading for the check out lines.

Shinobu followed behind and unloaded her small basket onto the conveyor belt after Ken. She watched as the cashier, who looked not much older than Ken and herself, question the purchase of the sake. She was doubly surprised as Ken showed him something in his wallet and the sake was rung up. "How did you do that?" she whispered to Ken.

Ken smiled. "I have my ways."

Seeing that she was not going to get a straight answer out of him, she let the conversation drop. She watched as final groceries were scanned and bagged and reached for her money envelope.

The cashier looked at her in confusion as he handed Ken the receipt for the paid order.

Shinobu looked on as Ken grabbed the bags of groceries and headed for the exit.

Seeming to sense that Shinobu was not following after, Ken turned around. "Did you forget something?"

Shinobu shook her head.

Ken shrugged. "Ok, let's go then. I'm starting to get hungry and this food isn't going to cook itself in the bag." Outside, he strapped the few bags into position in the storage bins on his bike and climbed on.

Determined to prove herself unafraid this time, Shinobu seated herself behind him without assistance, and wrapped her arms lightly around his waist.

Ken looked back over his shoulder. "You seem to get the hang of this setup fast. Ready to go?"

Shinobu nodded. "_Hai_! Let's go!"

Ken turned his vision forward again, and gunned the engine. "_Yosh_!" He allowed a small smile to turn his lips as he sped through the streets of Hinata as Shinobu tightened her grip around his waist. "Something about this just feels right." He thought to himself silently.

***

Shinobu looked up as the others entered the dinning room. "Hi everyone."

Everyone looked between the young girl sitting at the table and the closed door of the kitchen as the sound and smells of dinner passed through.

"If you're there…" Su pointed at Shinobu. "Than whose in there?"

Naru moved over to open the door to peer inside, but the moment she pushed on it, one pushed back on the other side. "What the?"

"No peeking allowed!" Ken called through the door playfully. "You'll just have to wait until everything is all done!"

Motoko's eyes widened. "He knows how to cook?"

"It certainly smells good enough." Kitsune commented.

"_Onii-chan_ is a really good cook." Hotaru defended her brother.

Su leaned close to the door and breathed in deeply through her nose. "I'm so hungry! I hope he made something spicy! It smells like he did!"

Keitaro sat down at his usual spot. "I guess we'll just have to wait until he's done.

The others took their seats as well.

Kitsune leaned over to Shinobu. "You mean to tell me you let him kick you out of your kitchen?" she teased.

Shinobu blushed slightly. "He asked if he could cook dinner, that's all. He didn't kick me out."

At that moment Ken opened kitchen door wheeling a small cart full of food before him. He had used the old room trays from when the dorm was an inn and had created a visually stunning presentation for the meal he placed before each person. "I don't know if this is up to the standards you guys are used to, but please enjoy.

"Check out this spread!" Admired Kitsune. "You better be careful Shinobu, or Ken may take over your role as our head chef."

"Wow!" Yell Su. "It all looks so good! There's miso, and hiyachi chukka, and ebi-chili, and sekihan and… Is that mabonasu!?" Su stopped talking and began devouring the meal before her.

The others all tasted the cuisine at a slower pace. They all agreed that Ken's culinary talents could rival Shinobu's.

As the others ate, Ken circled the table and poured each a small portion of the sake he purchased. Once everyone had a glass, he raised his own. " I want to thank you all for your generosity. To your health and prosperity."

The other's raised their glasses as well and continued on with dinner.

Ken bowed out and returned to the kitchen.

For some reason she couldn't explain, something nagged at Shinobu and she followed him. "Where are you going?!" She almost demanded.

Ken jumped as he tried to slip out the other door unnoticed. "_Kuso_." He muttered. He turned and laughed lightly. "I don't suppose you would believe that I forgot an ingredient at the supermarket would you?"

Shinobu shook her head.

Ken's shoulders sagged. "I didn't think so."

"Why would you try to sneak out like that?" She insisted.

Ken sighed. "I have some things I need to see to, but I'm not very good at good-byes. They tend to be final when I have to say them. If I disappear unnoticed, there is always the chance I'll get to come back."

Shinobu frowned. "But you'll come back?"

Ken nodded. "As soon as I can."

Shinobu paused a moment. She knew he was hiding something, but she couldn't nail it down. "Alright, I'll tell the others after you've left."

Ken smiled and nodded his thanks. He headed for the door before turning back a moment. "I enjoyed your company today, I hope we can hang out together again sometime." He turned to leave again and stopped. "By the way, I left made some sakuramochi and left them in the refrigerator for desert if you guys want any."

Shinobu watched as he passed through the door and disappeared down the hallway in total silence. She went back to the dinning room and resumed eating her meal. In the distance, she could hear the faint sound of a motorcycle engine roaring to life and speeding off into the night. "I enjoyed your company today too." She whispered.

Su looked over at her friend. "What did you say Shinobu?"

Shinobu shook her head. "Nothing Su, nothing at all."

A/N: Kind of long I know, sorry, but I hope you enjoyed it. I couldn't fall asleep after working on a paper for my English class, and this just kind of poured out of my head. Good? Bad? Other? Please review and let me know. Until the next, live well everyone. Also, for those of you who aren't familiar with the Japanese language and/or Japanese food here, a list of the translations:

Miso – a type of soup

Hiyachi Chuka – cold ramen noodle dish

Ebi-chili – shrimp with chili sauce

Sekihan – red rice dish

Mabonasu – spicy fried eggplant

Sakuramochi – pink sweet rice cake served as a desert

            The other little words most people know so I won't list them here. However, if I'm wrong in my assumption, let me know and I will list them from here after.


	4. Shadows

Love Hina: Healing Hearts

Disclaimer: I don't own Love Hina, so please don't sue. I have no money to give to you.

Chapter Four: Shadows

She ran toward the broken doors of the dojo. He left hand pressed harder against the deep gash in her right arm. They had been attacked without warning, without provocation. The shadows came from all sides and struck with fury of angered war gods. She wasn't even sure how many of them there were. He students were gone; they had run off into the night. Whoever was attacking wasn't interested in them. Her relations however were not to be found, they were the ones being hunted. The dojo was to confined a space to fight this enemy, she had to get away.

She rushed through the doors and out into the dark forest. She had made it only a few meters before one of the assailants blocked her path. A figure in a black leather trench coat stood before her brandishing a long, ornately engraved dagger. A long hood hid the head of the attacker, so there was no distinguishing features at all. She had nowhere to run, her arm hurt too much to mount any form of meaningful attack. She resigned herself to the inevitable conclusion. She stood her ground, prepared to meet her end as a warrior. She closed her eyes as the figure dashed towards her; a moment later she heard the sound of metal against metal. She opened her eyes to see another figure, similarly concealed in a black trench coat blocking the strike of the first. She stumbled backwards away from the two figures. What was going on here?

The first figure in black stepped back, unsure of how to proceed now.

The second stood stone still, making no effort to attack or to prepare a defense against an attack from the other. For a time the two figures simply stared each other down.

At last the first figure moved, replacing the dagger to its sheath beneath the trench coat. It nodded to the other, and ran deeper into the fading shadows of the morning.

The second black figure turned to the woman across from her. It bowed, and then threw something into the ground at her feet. Seeming to have completed its task the second figure also disappeared into the shadows.

The injured woman bent down to retrieve the item on the ground. It was a small _shinobi_-style throwing star with a piece of paper wrapped around it. It was cryptic enough getting a message in this way, but that wasn't what unsettled her. She hadn't been able to sense the ki of either of the black dressed figures. She had to prepare, perhaps even enlist the help given by the ancient pacts. She watched as the shadows faded into the light of sunrise over the city of Kyoto. For the first time in her life, Aoyama Tsuruko was afraid.

***

It was raining. Not any ordinary rain, but a thunderstorm unlike the region had seen in years. She couldn't let that stop her though; she had to get this to the secret spot. He had to know that she had been there, that she hadn't forgotten about their promise. She couldn't break her promise to him! If she could get her note to their spot, he would know why she couldn't come. Suddenly, the wind gusted strong once again. Her foot slipped, and she began to fall. She screamed out for help, and then the world went black.

***

Su shook her friend roughly. " Shinobu! Shinobu! Wake up! I need breakfast!"

Shinobu rose groggily. "Su? What is it?"

"You overslept! We're all down stairs, but there's nothing to eat!" Su cried unhappily.

Shinobu nodded and rose. "Ok, I'll be down in a moment." She watched as Su scampered out of the room. Shinobu quickly dressed in her school uniform, she brushed her hair out, thankful that she took a shower last night rather than waiting until this morning. She looked out her window and frowned. It was raining quite hard, and rainy days always made her feel so depressed. She checked herself in her mirror once again and then headed downstairs to the kitchen. As she entered the room, Hotaru handed her cup of green tea.

The young girl grinned sheepishly. "I'm not as good a cook as _onii-chan_, but tea and coffee I can handle."

Shinobu smiled back and took the cup. "Thank you. It smells wonderful." She took a sip of the drink and turned to begin preparing the morning meal. "Hotaru, have you heard from your brother lately?"

The other girl went to the refrigerator, and pulled out a few items for Shinobu. "He called a few days ago, but that was it." Hotaru replied sadly.

Shinobu nodded. It had been a little over a month since Ken had left suddenly. The others had been very upset when Shinobu had told them he had left. Hotaru had actually cried a little bit, and surprisingly Su became angry as well. Keitaro had said that he was free to come and go as he pleased. Still, no one was happy about his abrupt departure, except perhaps Motoko if you counted apathy. Shinobu brought out breakfast to the others at the table and sat down to eat quickly. Shortly after that she rushed off to school.

***

Later that day, Shinobu returned home after class. Normally she would have looked through the shops in town instead of coming home immediately, but the continuous sheets of rain encouraged her to just come straight back to the apartments. It was unusual to be home this early for her. Su was staying late at school with the engineering club, and Hotaru had joined one of the clubs, so they had remained behind when Shinobu left. Naru and Keitaro were in class over at Toudai, and Motoko was in her prep school classes. She had waved to Kitsune at the teashop, but the dorm itself was empty.

Shinobu was alone. At least she thought she was until she heard the sound of snoring from the room next to hers. She froze in the hallway, wondering who could possibly be in there. She quickly ducked into her own room for fear of being heard. He first thought was that a thief had broken in to escape the rain outside. She knew that made no sense logically as they were on the second floor, but to her emotional side was the fear of being attacked again. She quickly looked around her room for anything that she could use to defend herself. Before long her eyes settled on the smooth black sheath in her closet and picked it up. Motoko had given this to her as a gift when she had began her training last month. Shinobu unsheathed the katana and tried to hold it the way she had been taught. The long blade trembled in her scared hand, but she was determined to prove herself unafraid.

She emerged from her room silently and pressed herself against the wall. She slid along the wall to the door of the next room and slowly opened it. As she crept further into the room, her sword began to tremble more. At last she saw the intruder. He was sprawled out on a futon that was short for him. She couldn't see his face however as it was buried beneath his pillow. He wore a pair of faded blue jeans and a white long sleeve shirt. Not far from the futon was a pile of wet clothing. Shinobu reached down to remove the pillow from his face, and screamed as he grabbed her wrist. She stumbled backwards and fell against the wall.

"Jeez Shinobu!" Ken rushed over to help her to her feet. "Don't sneak up on a guy like that. Especially, with a katana, you'll get yourself hurt waving something like that around." He inspected her wrist and was relieved to see that there were no signs of bruising.

Shinobu stared at him, and then averted her gaze. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to upset you." She shifted her eyes to glance at him sidelong. "When did you return?"

Ken shrugged. "Don't know, a couple of hours ago I guess. I was so exhausted that I wasn't really paying attention. I just came in and crashed."

"I see." Murmured Shinobu. "So, where did you go?

Ken pulled over the low table from the corner of the room and motioned for Shinobu sit down. "Had to see someone about a debt, that's all." He pulled a small, self-heating electric thermos from a bag against the wall and a few empty cups. He poured each of them a glass of the dark brown liquid, and handed one to Shinobu.

"Thank you, but I don't drink coffee." Shinobu nodded.

Ken smiled. "You're smart then. That stuff tastes nasty." He took a look sip from his cup. "This however, is the best hot chocolate ever made."

Shinobu took a sip of her drink. "Hotaru will be happy to see that you're back."

Ken nodded. "How had everyone been?"

"Good, but they're really mad at you still." Shinobu replied.

Ken nodded again. "And what about you? Are you still mad at me?"

"A little…" Shinobu admitted.

"_Gomen nasai_." Ken took another sip of his drink. Silence dominated the small room for the next few minutes. "When did you take up _kenjutsu_? You didn't strike me as the fighting type the last time we met."

Shinobu almost told him, then held back. He was holding back secrets, she wondered if she should trust him with everything. "I just wanted to try a new hobby, so I asked Motoko to teach me."

Ken nodded. "She is indeed skilled…" He paused and lifted his head. "Did you hear something?"

Shinobu was about to reply when the door of the room flew open suddenly.

"What the hell do you think you're doing in here alone with Shinobu?" Demanded Naru.

Motoko brought her sword around towards Ken. "How dare you sully her with your uncouth behavior!"

Su also entered the fray sporting a dangerous looking bazooka. "What's an uncouth? Does it taste yummy?" She lowered the sight of her weapon to frame Ken's head. "Prepare to commence Operation: Preserve Shinobu's Innocence! Ready, aim, fire!" Two missiles raced toward their target.

Motoko followed up next. "Rock splitting sword!" Her ki wave exploded forward.

Naru pulled back her fist and released a strong punch.

Ken watched as everything rushed to towards him. "This is really going to hurt." He pushed Shinobu out of the blast radius just as he went up in a cloud of smoke.

Shinobu watched as Ken went flying out the window as burnt mass of flailing limbs. She then looked over at her friends. "Operation: Save Shinobu's Innocence?" She questioned uncertainly.

Su rested her missile launcher against her shoulder and laughed. "It was originally called Operation: Revenge On The Jerk With No Manners, but when you were unexpectedly on the scene and in danger we changed the title! Wasn't it great?"

Shinobu blinked in confusion. "I was…in danger?"

Motoko returned her sword to its sheath and rested it against her hip. "He's already shown a himself to have little respect for others, there is no telling what he may have done once he had you alone. He is a male after all."

Shinobu stood quickly. "We were just talking!" She looked around at the others. "Oh, this is pointless to argue." Shinobu muttered. She walked quickly from the room towards the front door.

"Where are you going?" asked Naru, now concerned with Shinobu's behavior.

Shinobu pointed to the rain just outside the now broken window. "You just attacked Ken and might have hurt him. He'll get sick if he stays out of there to long." She grabbed her umbrella. "I'm going to go look for him."

The other three girls looked on in shock.

"Did we do something bad?" asked Su worriedly.

***

Shinobu found Ken a few hours later slowly walking home to Hinata with a slight limp. "Oh no! You did get hurt!"

Ken brushed his long hair from his eyes and smiled as he saw her. "_Daishobu_, Shinobu. I just landed on an old injury. Even as tired as I am, it'll take more than an attack like that one to take me out of the game."

She rushed over and tried to help support him, but he waved her off.

"Knock it off, you'll get all wet and catch cold." Ken continued to walk on. "Besides, this is nothing I can't handle."

Shinobu didn't believe him. She watched as he grimaced with each and every step. She ignored his protests and placed his arm around her shoulder, helping take the weight off of his foot. "Come on, let's find someplace to get you out of the rain." She took the lead and entered the first building she found, which happened to be an inn. "Oh no!" She thought silently. "This wasn't what I had in mind!"

Ken laughed at the worried look on her face and limped over to the old women behind the check in counter. "We'll take your best room please." He looked back at Shinobu. "Is that ok?"

Shinobu nodded dumbly. "How are we going to pay for this?!" Her brain yelled at her. Her eyes widened as another thought came to mind. "What am I doing in a hotel alone with Ken?! He doesn't expect us to…does he?"

"Shinobu? You going to stand there all day?" Ken called back as he followed the old woman down the hall.

Shinobu followed quickly and entered the room they had rented. It was large and spacious with a full array of amenities. One of which was a recessed and partially hidden chest of drawers.

"We keep certain items in here just in case young couples like yourself should need them." The old woman smiled and left the room. "Just be cautious in whatever you do."

Ken and Shinobu blushed deeply in shocked silence. Then exchanged glances and began to laugh nervously.

Ken reached into the closet and handed Shinobu one of the inn's kimonos. "Why don't you wash up first? You got wet because of helping me and I don't want you to get sick as a result."

"But you're soaking, while I'm barely damp." Shinobu protested as Ken pushed the kimono into her hand and forced her into the bathroom. 

She resigned herself to what Ken had ordered. As she showered she had to admit that the warm water felt wonderful after being in the rain for so long. Still, she wasn't sure exactly what possessed her to stay out as long as she did. She hadn't even stayed out that long when Keitaro had run off those times. She gasped as the thought hit. "It couldn't be…that I like Ken. Could it?" She wondered aloud. She finished showering and toweled off before entering the main portion of the room once again. "Ken? You can go now if you'd like."

She looked around the room when she received no response. There was a small ticket on the table, and upon closer inspection she realized it was a claim ticket for the inn's laundry service. She made her way to the far side of the room and found Ken sitting on the floor with his back press firmly against then wall, snoring softly. Shinobu didn't seem to be able to stop herself from staring at his sleeping form. 

Without the gel to maintain it's upright styling, his hair hung loose around his face. It was much longer than she had first thought, which surprised her since she had always thought that boys preferred to keep their hair short. She crouched down besides him to get a closer look at his face, but spotted something else. When Ken had sent his clothes to the laundry, he had changed into one of the hotel kimonos as well, and the fabric was much more loose than the clothing he had worn before. Shinobu focused on the small portion of skin on Ken's arm. She gasped as she realized that his arm was covered in a series of scars, and reached out towards them, as if to confirm that they were real. Suddenly Ken awoke and pulled his sleeve down over the scars.

"Please don't." Ken stood quickly and went over to the mini-fridge and pulled out a couple of sodas. He tossed one to Shinobu.

Shinobu looked down at the soda. "_Gomen nasai_. I didn't mean to…"

Ken waved it away. "Forget about it."

Shinobu nodded and opened her soda. An awkward silence filled the room as she sipped at her drink. "How did you…"

Ken turned away and looked out the window into the rain. "I don't like to talk about it."

Shinobu kicked herself mentally again and again. "_Baka! Baka! Baka!_ You should have known better than to ask something like that!"

"Sorry." Ken apologized. "I shouldn't have snapped at you for my carelessness."

"Carelessness?" Shinobu questioned.

Ken nodded. "I should have hidden them better." He unconsciously gripped at the scars.

"Are you…ashamed of them?" Shinobu's voice wavered uncertainly.

Ken paused for a long time before answering her. "Yes, and a the same time, no. I am not ashamed of how or why I have these scars, but I am ashamed of the reasons that lead to them being put upon my skin." He turned as there was a knock at the door, and retrieved his clothes along with Shinobu's from the old woman. "We should change and head back to the apartments," He smiled playfully. "Otherwise the girls are going to start spreading rumors about me taking advantage of you." He handed Shinobu her clothing and left to the adjacent room.

Shinobu watched as he slid the partition into place. She changed quickly and then she and Ken left the hotel together.

A/N: Good? Bad? Other? Please let me know so I can improve on future works.


	5. Spies and Fighters

A/N: Hi again. Thanks again to anyone kind enough to review. Just a little note on this chapter in case it seems odd. I originally wrote this with the idea of it having elements of a song fic, but then I realized what bad idea that would be, and changed it to a normal story again. Plus, I have no idea how to properly pull off a decent song fic. ^-^  However, if you want to know the song that was going to be used, listen to "Last Exit To Eden" by Amanda Marshal as you read the part about Ken singing. That was the general feeling I was trying to get, but it just didn't work in the fic. So that said, on with the story and please enjoy

Love Hina: Healing Hearts

Disclaimer: I don't own Love Hina, so please don't sue. I have no money to give to you.

Chapter Five: Spies and Fighters

"Damn it Su! Give me back my CD!" Ken chased the young girl through the house, quite literally swinging off the rafters at times. "I said give it back!"

Su darted to and fro, always staying just out of his reach. "Oh please! I just want to listen to it a little longer!"

"That's what you said two days ago! Now give it here crazy girl!" Ken lunged again trying to grab Su. Unfortunately for him things didn't go quite as planned, and he grabbed a handful of Motoko's chest instead.

"How dare you!" Motoko gave a powerful swing of her sword sending Ken flying down the hall, through the wall, and tumbling down the stairs.

Ken lay on his back with small stars flying above his head. "Owwie."

Su crouched beside Ken's head and began poking him with a stick. "Hey, you dead?"

Ken flipped himself to his feet and resumed the chase. "Give me that CD!"

"_Onii-chan no baka_." Hotaru muttered atop the roof deck as she watched Ken chase after Su.

Shinobu laughed as she continued to hang the laundry. "That's not very nice."

Hotaru smiled. "Maybe not, but it's funny and its true."

Shinobu laughed again. "So what CD is he trying to get back anyway?"

Hotaru shrugged and handed the older girl another piece of clothing. "Who knows. But if he's that possessive over it, it must have been a gift he got from someone on one of his trips."

"Hotaru, where does your brother go on his trips?"

Hotaru shook her head. "To be honest, I don't know. He always dropped me off somewhere when he went away."

"You mean you don't stay with your parents at all?" Shinobu questioned.

The younger girl shook her head. "My parents died when I was very little, _onii-chan_ is the only family I've ever had or known."

Shinobu couldn't believe her ears. "I'm sorry."

"Don't be." Hotaru replied. "_Onii-chan­_ has taken really good care of us. I think our parents must have set up a trust or something, but Ken works too. He says that it helps to make sure that everything goes smoothly for us."

"But he said that he was only six-teen, how can he do all that?"

Hotaru shrugged again. "He's emaciated or something."

"You mean emancipated?" Asked Motoko as she came up the steps.

Hotaru nodded. "Yeah, that one."

Motoko nodded. "That explains a bit about him."

"But only a bit." Thought Shinobu silently. She remembered the incident from the other day at the hotel. On the way home Ken had asked her not to reveal his secret to the others, and she had honored that request, but she couldn't help wondering about it further. She jumped as a loud crash was heard from the far side of the deck and turned to see Su dashing towards her with Ken in hot pursuit.

"Help!" Cried Su. "He's possessed!"

"Just give me the CD already!" Ken called after her. "I wouldn't care that you have it, except for the fact that you were about to turn it into a component for one of those mutant turtle things you have running around everywhere."

As Su came running past her, Hotaru dropped to the ground and sweep kicked Su's legs leaving her lying on her back. "Ow. Ok! I give up!" She pouted and handed Ken the CD.

"Thank you." He turned and headed down the stairs.

The three remaining girls looked at Hotaru in awe.

Motoko spoke first. "Where did you learn a move like that?"

Hotaru finished putting up the last of the laundry on the line. "From my brother."

Motoko turned to watch Ken's fading form. "Hotaru, who taught your brother?"

The younger girl shrugged. "I have no idea."

"I have to find out more about that boy." Motoko whispered to herself.

Su popped up in front of Motoko just inches from the older girl's face. "I can help you with that!"

Motoko screamed and fell backwards as Su surprised her. "I have a bad feeling about this…but alright. How can you help?"

Su grinned. "I've been saving these for a special occasion to unveil, but this will work just as well." She turned to Shinobu and Hotaru. "Are you guys going to come too?"

"You're going to go spy on my brother?" Hotaru asked.

Shinobu shook her head. "I don't think we should do that, he might get upset."

"Oh, come on Shinobu!" Su giggled. "It'll be fun."

Hotaru nodded. "Well, I'm in."

Su smiled again. "Here put these on." She tossed everyone a jumpsuit and jumped into her own quickly. "These are my new and improved stealth suits version three point zero. With these we can follow Ken anywhere and he won't know the difference!" She cheered happily.

Hotaru quickly donned her own suit. "Cool! It's like a super secret spy movie! Come on! Let's go!"

Motoko looked over the suit. "I detest this kind of action, but…" She changed into the suit.

Shinobu felt her palms become sweaty as the other three girls stared at her intently. "Auuuuuu!"

***

The four stealth suited tenants crept up behind Ken. He had set up a make shift garage for his motorcycle in an old shed near the back of the complex grounds. Ken sat on ground with a handful of tools scattered around him as he adjusted the various valves, gears, and other mechanisms within the engine block. A small radio was nearby as well playing softly.

"So what are we looking for anyway?" Whispered Hotaru into her suit's small microphone.

"I'm not sure." Replied Shinobu. "Motoko?"

Ken turned and looked around. "Is someone there?" He shrugged and went back to his work.

Su bopped Shinobu over the head. "Use you microphone or you'll blow our cover!"

Shinobu nodded as she rubbed her head. "_Hai, gomen nasai_."

Motoko watched in silence. "I had thought that if he was indeed a martial artist he would be training back here, but he's simply playing with that bike." She thought disappointedly. She was about to suggest that they leave him to his own devices when she heard him singing again. She remembered that he had been singing during there duel, maybe this would give her some insight to his fighting style.

Ken reached back and changed his tools. His voice was soft and in time with the music that came from his radio. He heard something rustle, and turned off his radio. He looked back again, but there was nothing there. "I think hanging around Keitaro for the past two days has made his paranoia rub off on me." He resumed his singing and reached for the spare bolts next to his bike.

Shinobu leaned over to Hotaru. "What is he singing?"

The other girl shook her head. "I have no idea, I didn't even know that _onii-chan_ could sing like that."

An upset look crossed Su's face. "It sounds so sad though."

Motoko nodded in agreement.

Shinobu remembered the conversation that she and Ken had had on the roof the night of his arrival. "I wonder…"

Ken turned suddenly. "Ok! I know I'm not imagining things now! If someone is here, come out already! And Su, if I find one of your flying turtle cameras I'm going to make you eat every single circuit!"

Hotaru suddenly looked nervous. "_Kuso!_ We're busted. We need to leave, like, now." She grabbed Shinobu's hand and started to tug her in the opposite direction of Ken.

Motoko followed behind. "What's the matter?"

"If he finds us here we are dead." Hotaru explained. "He hates when people spy on him." She looked around. "Where's Su?!"

They looked back to see Su crouched next to Ken and the bike.

Hotaru's face turned even paler than even she had thought possible. "Run…" Too late.

Su reached out to inspect the gears of the engine, and in turn knocked the system out of alignment. This caused oil that had been within the engine to suddenly spurt out striking Ken in the face.

"What the hell?" Ken gasped. He put up his hand to block the gusher.

Su gasped as the oil hit the control module for all the suits invisibility settings. In seconds the girls were visible again, and Ken saw them.

Ken stood slowly, his right temple was enlarged and throbbing. He looked them over one by one.

Su laughed nervously.

Shinobu looked at the ground guiltily.

Motoko held her breath.

Hotaru stood wide-eyed.

Ken turned and walked away slowly. "Please excuse me."

The girls watched as he moved away. Once he was out of sight, they heard a large crash. They chose to wait to investigate the sound and made a hasty retreat back to the main building. 

***

"I don't trust him Keitaro." Naru stated she and her fiancé studied for their upcoming mid-term exams.

"Give him a break Naru." He replied. "I'm sure that he has his reasons."

Naru glared at him. "What possible reason could he have to scare the others like that?"

Keitaro shrugged. "Don't forget he scared Hotaru too, and he cares about her more than anything."

Naru frowned and went back to her studying. At last she looked up at Keitaro again. "I'm worried about Shinobu."

"What? Why?" Keitaro asked.

"Come on, you mean to tell me you haven't noticed how her behavior has changed since Ken arrived?" Naru sighed.

Keitaro finally looked up from his textbook, and gave her a sly smile. "You mean like the way you changed after I had been here a while?"

Naru blushed deeply. "_Baka_! What are you talking about?"

Keitaro leaned back and smiled. "Shinobu isn't the same scared little girl that we all met back then, maybe she's having her first crush."

Naru stared at him. "How is it you can be so dense and so insightful at the same time."

"Huh? What do you mean 'dense'?" he demanded.

Naru shook her head. "Never mind, but what about Ken? I don't want to see Shinobu get hurt because he does something stupid. I mean, did you see how upset she was after that thing by the back shed?"

Keitaro nodded. "But from what Hotaru told me, things could have been worse."

"And that's supposed to be comforting?" Naru growled.

"Look, I don't like the fact that he ran off again, but I like that better than him taking out his anger on the girls." Keitaro admitted, but he saw that Naru was still unsettled on the situation. "If it will make you feel better, I'll talk to him when he gets back."

"If he comes back." Naru amended.

Keitaro smiled. "Oh, he'll be back."

***

Shinobu felt like a complete and total loser. Not only had she gone along with the others to spy on Ken, but she had been caught too! When Ken hadn't shown up for lunch she had gone back to the shed with a tray, and the hope that she could apologize as well. All she had found however was some tools strewn about the yard and fresh tire tracks. When he hadn't returned by dinner, she couldn't help but think that he might not come back, and that upset her.

With dinner concluded Shinobu retired to her room and flopped down on to her futon. She removed her sketchbook from its spot on the shelf along with her pencils and started to work. Her hand was steady and with deft movements the picture began to quickly take shape. She looked down at her work and sighed. The first shot was of Ken working on his motorcycle, and next to it was one of Ken looking very angry. Shinobu stared at the two drawings, that was when she noticed his eyes. They were upset, but not angry, at least not with her and the others. "So who then?" she whispered. 

She placed the pad on to the shelf and rolled onto her back. The clock beside her read ten fifty-seven, much later than Shinobu had thought. It wasn't uncommon for her to lose track of time when she drew, but she never lost that much time before. On top of that, she wasn't tired. She could just lie there until sleep took her, but she felt it might be a very long time until that happened. She rose from her futon and opened her window. She smiled. "The sky is clear tonight. Maybe I'll just watch the stars for a while." Something caught her eye on the roof across the way. The door to her room was left open as Shinobu ran for the stairs. In moments she was climbing to the top of the roof. "Ken?"

The young man didn't turn to her. His face was hidden in the shadow on the evening. "Hey there Shinobu."

Shinobu ran over to him. "Where have you been? We've been worried about you."

Ken remained facing away from her. "Sorry. Come on, sit down." He waited until she was seated before he continued. "Sorry about before too."

Shinobu shook her head. "Please don't. I should be the one to apologize to you."

"Nah, I acted like jerk losing my temper before." Ken sighed. "It's a bad habit of mine unfortunately."

"That was losing your temper?" Shinobu was surprised by this given how restrained he seemed. "Maybe you should give Motoko some tips on losing tempers, I'm sure Sempai would prefer your way to Motoko's. Anyway, I'm sorry that we were spying on you."

Ken laughed and smiled at the joke. "I'll see what I can do. Hey, can I ask you something?"

Shinobu nodded. "Yeah, sure."

"Why were you guys spying anyway?" A slight flush came across Ken's face. "And how long were you guys there?"

"That's two questions. Which one would you like answered?" Shinobu teased.

Ken stared at her, then smiled. "I only get one? Alright, the first one then."

"Motoko was curious about you." Shinobu replied.

"And let me guess, Su wanted to test her newest invention?" Ken asked.

Shinobu nodded. "Yeah, and I think Hotaru just wanted to play. And I…I guess I was a little curious too." She paused a moment. "We were there long enough to hear you singing."

Ken sighed. "You heard me singing huh? Oh well."

"Is that such a bad thing?"

Ken lay back on the roof and stared out into space. "I guess not, just kind of embarrassing."

Shinobu looked back at him. "Why is it embarrassing?"

"No one has ever heard me sing before." He replied. "It just feels weird having other people listen I guess."

"I see. What were you singing anyway?" She asked quietly.

Ken shook his head. "Just some ramblings I put to music one night."

Shinobu stared at him in shock. "You wrote that? Wow, that's amazing."

Ken turned slightly. "Th-thanks." He pulled back quickly as he realized that the light was on him.

"What happened to you?" Shinobu practically demanded. She moved closer to Ken and pulled him in to the light. His lip was split and he had matching bruises on each cheek. "Who did this?"

Ken jerked away from her grip. "It's nothing. I just had to go blow off some steam before."

Shinobu pulled him forward again. "I don't understand."

Ken sighed and allowed Shinobu to look at his bruises. "I said I lost my temper before, you guys just didn't see the full force of it. After you guys left I headed to this place over in Tokyo. Once you pay your entrance fee to get in they don't let you out again until there's only one guy left standing. It's the only safe way I know to cool down when I get that steamed. I just got a little careless is all."

Shinobu felt a few tears well up in her eyes and roll down her cheeks as she realized that he was hurt again because of her. "I'm sorry, I won't upset you further, but please don't go back to a place like that again." She rose and tried to leave, but Ken was holding her hand, keeping her in place.

He reached out and gently brushed the tears from her face. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to hurt you by telling you that. You're not to blame for this, I chose to do this to myself."

"But…"

"No. You're too good a person to feel bad over someone like me, so don't." His voice was gentle, but firm at the same time. The wind kicked up about them and Ken saw Shinobu shiver. "You should head back in before you get sick."

Shinobu nearly took his advice, but another part of her wanted to stay with Ken for as long as possible. She remembered something she had seen Naru do on occasions similar to this one, but could she make use of it? 

"Maybe in a little while, it's still so pretty out here. Do you think, maybe you could help me stay warm until then?" She felt her face turn hot and she knew that she was blushing fiercely, but hoped that the dim light would hid that fact from Ken.

Ken blinked in surprise for a minute. "Um, yeah, sure, I guess." He scooted a bit closer to her. "_Kuso_!" He thought silently. "What do I do now?"

"Auu! What do I do now?" Shinobu thought nervously. She tried to remember what it was she had seen Naru and Keitaro doing, but was so nervous that her mind was a blank. She relaxed as she saw that Ken seemed just as nervous as she was. At last she decided to make a move, and leaned in to rest her head on his shoulder. She smiled as he placed his arm around her shoulder. The wind blew past her again, but she didn't even feel it.

Ken smiled despite the pain it caused from his bruises. Together, he and Shinobu watched the stars.

A/N: Good? Bad? Other? Drop me a line on what you think. 'Till the next, live well everyone.


	6. New Beginings

A/N: Well, a friend e-mailed me saying there wasn't much action and adventure for my action/adventure genre rating. That is the direction I was planning on going anyway, and will be more obvious soon. In the mean time, this should help set you up for what's to come. So to my friend, you know who you are, consider this your shout out. NOW AT LEAST LEAVE A REVIEW YA BUM! ^-^

To the rest of the readers and reviewers, please disregard the above ranting.

Love Hina: Healing Hearts

Disclaimer: I don't own Love Hina. Well, not unless you count the manga and DVD's in my cabinets. But definitely don't own the rights, so don't sue me. I got no money anyway. (rider opens his pockets and flies fly out. -_-  I'm going to need to get another job…)

Chapter Six: New Beginnings

"You let her get away!?" The tall form in black backhanded the smaller form that stood before it. "You are worthless! How could you fail such an easy mission?"

The smaller form raised a hand and fended off the full force of the second blow, but was struck all the same. The voice of a woman was heard grunting in pain as she struck against the far wall. "I'm sorry, but someone else interfered!"

The tall figure stopped. "Someone?" He snarled loudly. "Him?! He dares betray me further?!" He turned away from the girl. "Get out."

The girl ran from the room.

Another shadow emerged from a hidden recess at the other side of the room.

"Was it he?" The leader asked.

The other figure nodded. "Unquestionably. Apparently he has taken the events of 'The Incident' very personally. He lashes out at you now."

"Have we found a way to track him?"

"No."

The leader growled again. "What about the girl from the paper?"

"Our little informant says there has been no contact." Replied the second figure. "It gets worse I'm afraid."

The leader turned. "And how is that?"

The second figure paused a moment. "I believe that the ancient alliance may still be active."

***

Outside the room, a young woman listened intently. She rubbed her cheek lightly, and traced a finger across her lips. When she pulled it away, there was a faint trace of blood on her black gloves. She walked away slowly disappearing into the shadows. 'The Incident' weighed heavily on her mind, maybe it was time for her to take similar action.

***

Tsuruko sat at one side of the small table in her dojo. "Thank you for agreeing to see me on such short notice."

The man at the other side of the table nodded. "To be honest, I was surprised that you call me out here. Your note made it sound like the situation was of the life or death variety."

"I'm afraid that it may be." Tsuruko slid a small item across the table, a _shinobi_-style throwing star. "This was left after our home was attacked a week ago." She handed a letter to the man. "As was this."

The man took the letter. "The ancient clans are in danger?" He paused and rubbed his chin. "Then I assume you're asking me to honor the ancient pacts forged by our ancestors."

Tsuruko nodded.

The man sighed heavily. "A lot of time has passed Tsuruko. The bloodlines are thin and scattered, what makes you think that the pacts and the alliance will make any difference in the situation?"

"Because one of their own left those instructions." The samurai replied.

"It may very well be a trap." He warned.

Tsuruko looked out her window. "That thought had occurred to me, but I don't believe it to be the case." She turned back to the man. "I realize that I am asking a lot, and I will understand if you do not wish to assist my family and I."

"Hey!" The man snapped. "Don't try to throw a guilt trip on me!" He sighed and relaxed. "I can not guarantee that the rest of my kin will rally to this cause, the history between our clans after the last time we worked together will interfere. I will speak with them, but I can make no promises." He smiled. "My sword however, is ready if you require me."

Tsuruko smiled and nodded. "_Arigato_."

The man stood. "I will attempt to contact representatives of the other clans and see if they will aid us."

Tsuruko shook her head. "I should…"

"No, you need to see to your wounded and help your family." He sighed. "You may also have to retrain yourself as you have been training Motoko."

Tsuruko's anger flashed across her face. "You dare!"

The man also raised his voice. "I dare! Your family's skills have weakened considerably over the centuries! You know it as well as I! Motoko is the only one of your clan who has the potential to rival your ancestors! To long has your family lived in the limelight, living off the name of Aoyama!"  He softened his voice. "I don't mean to be rude, but it is the truth. For all your treasured skills, your arm is still broken and in a sling."

The leader of the Aoyama dojo bit back her words. She knew her friend and ally was right. "Motoko may well be the strongest in our line, but she has not yet reached her full strength. Will you watch after her until this is settled?"

The man nodded. "Of course I will, you shouldn't even have to ask that question." He turned and walked away. "After all, I am her _kanrinrin_."

***

Shinobu woke up to smell of breakfast cooking, and immediately bolted upright. If she was still in bed, then someone else was in the kitchen, and that prospect made her nervous. If Su was cooking, no one would be able to eat at all with all the spices that would be used. If Motoko was cooking, they might end up having to call the first aid department again for all the cuts she gave herself. If it was Naru, well…it might be edible, but just barely. So who could possibly be cooking? 

She suddenly looked around her surroundings. "How'd I get here? The last thing I remember was sitting with Ken on the roof." She smiled and blushed. "I must have fallen asleep, and he brought me back inside." Shinobu looked down and saw that she wasn't wearing her clothes from last night, but rather her pajamas. Panic surged through her as she rushed down the stairs to the kitchen, realizing now that he had to be the one in the kitchen. In her rush, she crashed into Motoko sending both girls to the floor.

Motoko recovered first. "What's the matter Shinobu?"

"Um, nothing, I just have to talk with Ken about something." She responded nervously.

Sensing the other girl's apprehension, Motoko pushed forward. "About what?"

Shinobu began fiddling with her hands as she spoke. "Well, I think I fell asleep with him, but I don't remember what happened after that, but I was wearing different clothes when I woke up this morning."

"Ken!" Motoko stormed off toward the kitchen with her sword waving wildly. "You vile pervert! You will pay for your actions against poor Shinobu!"

Shinobu winced as the dorm shook with Motoko's ki blasts. "Maybe I should have been a bit more careful the way I said that…"

"For the love of all that is holy! Someone stop her before she kills me!" Ken cried as he went running through the dorm in search of an escape route. "I don't even know what I did!"

"There is no escape from my wrath! I knew it would be a mistake to have you live here!" Motoko followed close behind Ken firing off multiple ki blasts at him. "Now stop running and take your punishment for defiling Shinobu!"

"Defiling?!" Screamed Ken. "What the hell have you been smoking? I didn't do that!" He jumped to avoid another blast, but wasn't fast enough. "Gahhh! My legs!"

Motoko smiled evilly. "Now I have you! Evil Cutting Sword Second Form!"

Ken screamed as the blast hit him and sent him through the roof.

"What are you guys doing?" Demanded Naru as she emerged from her room looking completely exhausted. "Do you have any idea what time it is?"

Motoko replaced her sword to her side. "I'm sorry to wake you Naru, but Ken had to be punished."

Naru raised an eyebrow. "Ok, what did he do this time?" Naru listened as Shinobu quickly filled her in on the story. "Oh that. Ken brought you in after you fell asleep and asked me to look after you since he couldn't wake you up."

Motoko looked at the hole in the roof and felt a wave of guilt hit her. "So you were the one that changed Shinobu's clothes?"

Naru nodded. "Yeah, Ken asked me to since he figured Shinobu would be upset if he did that."

Motoko didn't feel so guilty now. "So he did consider it."

The girls looked up towards the roof as a loud crash was heard.

Naru sighed. "You two deal with him, I'm going back to bed." She shut the door to her room leaving the hallway silent.

Motoko and Shinobu exchanged glances.

"Maybe you should go first." Motoko suggested. "He might start running again if he sees me."

Shinobu nodded and began to walk away. "Maybe I better change out of my pj's first just incase Motoko gets jumpy again." She thought silently. She returned to her room and put on her school uniform and then headed for the roof.

Motoko watched as the younger girl walk away, and turned to look at Naru's closed door. "I wonder what's wrong with Naru? She looks terrible, and I heard her fighting with Keitaro last night. I'll ask her at breakfast I suppose." She turned and went downstairs to her waiting breakfast, doing her best to ignore the slight feeling of guilt that she may have killed the man who made it for her.

***

Ken hadn't moved since he landed. He remained in a sort of headstand with his head buried beneath floorboards and his arms folded across his chest. "I must have done something really bad in a past life." He muttered. "Or perhaps that demon in there just gets off on beating people senseless." He shivered as the image of Motoko in an S&M costume flashed through his mind.

"Are you ok?" Called Shinobu's voice.

Ken finally pulled himself out of the hole he had created. "Yeah, nothing a few aspirin won't cure. Mind explaining to me what the kendo girl was ranting about." He listened to the explanation and began to laugh.

"It's not that funny." Despite her saying so, Shinobu laughed a bit as well. She was relieved to see that despite the beating he had just taken, Ken seemed no worse for wear. In fact, his injuries from last night seemed to have healed almost completely.

Ken continued to laugh. "Yes, it is. Motoko's so uptight about everything, but at least her heart is in the right place." He glanced down at his watch. "Hey, shouldn't you be getting ready for class?"

Shinobu looked at her own watch. "Auuuu! I'm going to be late!" She ran off to the lower levels of the apartments. She grabbed her book bag from her room and rushed towards the front door where Su and Hotaru were waiting.

"That's what happens when you spend the whole night with your new boyfriend." Su teased.

Hotaru blinked. "Shinobu and _onii-chan_? A couple?"

Shinobu blushed deeply. "We're not a couple. We're just friends."

"Yeah right." Su continued to tease.

"Oh, go away." Shinobu playfully pushed her friend out the front door. She gasped as she saw Ken waiting outside on his motorcycle.

"Anyone need a ride?" He asked.

The girls all looked at each other, trying to decide who should go with him.

"Guys," called Ken. "I have room for all of you."

Shinobu glanced at the other two girls, and saw the same look in their eyes. She broke into a sprint towards the bike. The few seconds jump that she got was all she needed and reached the second seat just before the other two.

"But now where do we sit?" asked a disappointed Su.

Ken nodded to the opposite side of the bike.

The two girls quickly ran around the other side and, upon seeing the newly added side cart, jumped inside.

Ken laughed at their enthusiasm. "There are some new helmets in there as well. Put 'em on." He waited until the three girls were ready. "Here we go!" He took off down the steps and down the streets of Hinata towards the girl's school.

"How did you get down stairs so fast?" Asked Shinobu as they picked up speed.

Ken laughed. "I jumped off the roof."

The four teenagers speed past the teahouse and waved at Kitsune as she open shop for the day. From there they headed through the city towards the school the girls attended. Although Ken kept his hands on the handles, the girls were more animated. They waved to the casual passer by and called out to their friends causing much commotion. By the time they reached the school, there were few people who hadn't seen or heard them.

"Last stop." Called Ken as he came to a stop. "Everybody out."

Shinobu climbed off the motorcycle and removed her helmet.

Ken stared as she knocked her clip out of her hair causing it to fall in a shimmering cascade. Without realizing it, he stopped breathing.

"Ken? You ok?" Shinobu asked concerned.

Ken shook himself out of his daze. "Um, yeah, just fine." He cleared his throat. "So you guys going to need a ride back home later?"

Su shook her head. "I have a club meeting."

"Me too." Seconded Hotaru.

Shinobu looked down at the ground. "I was going to go shopping after school…"

Ken nodded. "Alright, I'll give you a ride." He paused. "That is if you want one."

Shinobu nodded. "That would be nice."

"Oh this is just dumb already!" Hotaru teased. "Why don't you two just do it already and move on?"

Both Ken and Shinobu stared slack jawed. "_Nani_?!!"

Su and Hotaru ran off towards the school, singing in tandem. "Ken and Shinobu, laying in a tree, F-U-…"

"I'm going to kill the two of you!" Shinobu yelled as she chased after her friends.

Ken revved his engine. "And if she doesn't, I'll run you over!"

"Hey! Get that vehicle off of school property!" Yelled the security guard.

Ken looked back. "Guess that's my cue to leave." He revved the engine again sending dirt and debris toward the guard. "Sorry, never had much respect for authority figures!" He laughed as he tore off down the street.

Shinobu watched as Ken disappeared into downtown Hinata. Torn between feeling bad for the security guard, and laughing at Ken's carefree actions. Finally she went into her classroom as the other students began to disperse.

"Hey!" Whispered one of the boys in her class to one of his friends. "Did you see who it was on that motorcycle?"

The second boy nodded. "Yeah, who'd have thought that Maehara would've turned into a biker girl."

"Biker girl?" Shinobu wondered as she took her seat. She smiled slightly and giggled. "It does seem a bit weird for me, but its kind of fun too."

***

Ken returned to the dorm and found it to be completely empty. He parked his bike and raided Keitaro's repair supply closet. He headed up to the roof and spent the next few hours fixing the hole that he had created during his unexpected flight this morning. "You're good. You know that?" He called to no one in particular. "I was barely able to sense you." He looked over his shoulder to where Keitaro was now standing.

"We need to talk." The apartment manager stated coolly.

Ken stood. "Yeah, I figured we would have to have words sooner or later."

"You have to know that I won't let you hurt her." Keitaro stated.

 Ken raised his eyebrow. "Sorry, I'm not sure I follow you."

Keitaro stepped forward and hopped the deck railing. He walked up the roof until he stood even with Ken. "I know that you're here for Motoko. I won't let you hurt her."

Ken scratched at his head. "Well, you're sort of right at least." He glanced over toward the trees at the edge of the roof. "However, before we discuss this, what do you say we deal with the big, pink elephant hiding in the trees?"

Keitaro nodded.

For a moment neither moved, simply watching the trees. Then one branched twitched for no apparent reason and both boys dashed forward.

"Don't let him get away!" Yelled Keitaro.

Ken laughed. "You worry to much!" He grinned wolfishly as he whispered. " You aren't going anywhere 'Ro. Not when the game is just getting started." He dropped into the trees with Keitaro close behind. Before them, a lone figure in a black trench coat ran in search of escape.

Good? Bad? Other? Drop me a line on what you think. Not to sound like a review junkie, but I was hoping I would have a few more reviews by now. (Hint hint, please leave one ^-^) 'Till the next, live well all!


	7. Ending the Chase

A/N: Yay! More reviews! And no M.Blade, that rant wasn't directed at you, it was directed at walkswithwraiths. To walkswithwraiths, maybe I'll let you preview chapter 8. ^-^ I may even re-intro someone for you, but only if your nice! ^-^ 

Anyway, all that aside, please be gentle in your reviews of this chapter. I fear I may have rushed the story a bit, but couldn't think of another way to do it. To all the Shinobu _otaku_, I have a feeling you will flame me for what I did here, but I needed to for my story. _Gomen_. All that said, I like how it turned out in the end (after three attempts and a lot of editing later), but it may seem off compared to earlier stuff. And now on with the show.

Love Hina: Healing Hearts

Disclaimer: Yes, at long last! I own Love Hina! (rider wakes up) Oh, damn, I still don't own it. Doh! _

Chapter Seven: Ending the Chase

            He stood on a high branch in the trees hidden from sight. He made sure to keep his power suppressed so that his targets would not be alerted to his presence. He watched as the second man arrived silently behind the first.

"You're good. You know that?" Called the tanned boy. "I was barely able to sense you." He looked back to the paler skinned boy over his shoulder.

The figure in the trees narrowed his eyes. "This one is trained well. Even I can't sense the ki of the clan heir."

"We need to talk." Replied the second man.

The second man stood. "Yeah, I figured we would have to have words sooner or later."

The figure watched intently.

The pale skinned man jumped the railing and walked up the roof slowly. "I know that you're here for Motoko. I won't let you hurt her."

The tanned boy scratched his head. "Well, you're sort of right at least." He turned and glanced toward the trees.

For a moment the figure was afraid that he had been discovered. Then he calmed, he had been here for almost two months now and had never been discovered, and he would not be noticed now. Then the tanned one spoke further.

"However, before we discuss this, what do you say we deal with the big, pink elephant hiding in the trees?"

The figure in the trees felt his throat tighten as he saw the second man nod. They knew he was there. He paused a moment to wonder how that was possibly before he realized that could be wondered about later and he ran.

"Don't let him get away!" Yelled the second man.

The first man laughed. "You worry to much!"

The mystery figure didn't look back. He had to get away, had to find an escape! If he were to be caught now, there would be hell to pay. He glanced to his left and saw the dorm manager racing only a step behind. He looked right expecting to see the other man, but no one was there. In fact he was nowhere to be seen at all. He made use of the opportunity and distanced himself from his only pursuer. He bounded through the trees, pouring every ounce of his energy into his speed. A few minutes later he stood alone once again, his tracker left far behind and completely clueless. He breathed a sigh of relief.

"Now this is just sad." Called a voice from above. "You made this way to easy. I thought I was tracking an Aoyama. The old man must be getting lax in his training."

The hooded figure looked up to see a tan man with long, spiked blonde hair hanging upside down from a higher branch. He prepared to run again.

"C'mon now, we both know how that's going to end." Stated the hanging man. "Now how about we talk 'Ro."

The hidden figure looked up again. "How do you know me? Who are you?"

"That's not important right now. My next question is however, so answer carefully." The blonde replied. "What do you intend to do now that you've been discovered?" He received no response, instead he watched as his target reached into his coat and pulled out a pair of nunchaku. "We're going to have to do this the hard way, aren't we?"

The man in black watched as the boy released his legs from the branch. As the boy fell he grabbed onto the branch on which he was standing and used his momentum to spin himself into a twisting flip to land softly on his feet on the branch. Despite all this, there was no movement from the branch at all. "Who are you?"

The blonde smiled. "You know who I am."

"No, I don't." He braced himself to attack. "However, it is clear that you are a threat to me, so I will find the answers I seek from your corpse!" He charged forward and attacked rapidly, his nunchaku twirling with tremendous force and speed.

The other boy merely rolled backward, out of the attack range. "The _hiraishin_ suits you well, you are quick and powerful. However, you are also impulsive. You charge recklessly, with no information on your opponent."

"Shut up!" Yelled the attacker. "What the hell do you know?" He struck again.

The other man swatted the weapon away easily. "A lot more that you do 'Ro."

The attacker charged again. "Stop calling me that! That is not my name!"

The blonde backed away again, leaping backwards to another tree. "Right right. My mistake, you are the avatar of electricity of the demon clan blah blah blah blah blah."

"Stop mocking me!" He followed the path of the first man and attacked in rapid succession. The nunchaku began to glow and crackle with electricity.

"You know, you get very sloppy with your attacks when you get angry." Cautioned the tanned man. "Believe me, I know from experience that can get you hurt."

The black clad man struck again, but missed. "You know nothing! I will destroy you, and then I'll take that girl you seem so interested in…" He was cut off as the blonde dashed forward and caught the electrified weapons, one in each hand. He pulled his arms apart from each other.

Because the attacker in black had smaller arms and refused to let go of his nunchaku, the result of this maneuver brought him quickly towards his target where he received a violently strong head-but. Disoriented he began to fall out of the tree, but a the seemingly last second his coat was grabbed by the tanned man who lifted him up and pinned him to the trunk with a single hand.

"You touch one hair on her head, and I'll break you in half." He growled. "You clear on that fact?"

Though in pain from the quick attack, the pinned man attempted a reply. He spit into the other man's face. However, the man didn't flinch, nor did he attempt to wipe it away.

"Consider that your free shot." He warned. "Now, I'll ask you again. What are you going to do now that you've been exposed? I know that you've been here at least two months if not longer, but I chose to ignore you because you're not a threat to me."

The other remained silent.

The blonde backed away and allowed the other man to fall into a sitting position on the branch. "Well, the way I see it, you don't have many options. The old man sure isn't going to welcome you back now." He began counting off ideas on his fingers. "So you can one, run back to him telling him what you learned and most definitely take a beating that you'll be lucky to survive. Two, continue giving me the silent act and pissing me off and I'll save you a trip by beating your impertinent ass right here. Three, run away from everything and hope the old man doesn't find you, though with you level of training that would be unlikely. Or four, you can come with me, and I'll keep you safe and hidden. So? What'll it be?"

The figure looked up at him. "How do you know so much about us?"

"My question first." The boy replied.

"Not much of a choice is it? I'll go with you."

The blonde smiled and reached out a hand to help the other to his feet. "Good choice."

"Now my question." The figure insisted.

The tanned man smiled again, and reached out to move back the long hood. "Hey, I know you were only one year old at the time "The Incident" took place, but I'm insulted that you don't recognize your own _onii-chan_."

***

Shinobu waited in front of her school. She knew that the other members of her class were staring at her. In the past, such attention would have reduced her to shaking. Now, it made her nervous, but not to the same degree. She smiled as she heard the familiar sound of Ken's motorcycle. He came to a stop in front of her.

"_Gomen nasai_! I got a little busy repairing the roof and lost track of time." Ken apologized.

Shinobu shook her head. "It's ok." She climbed behind him, noticing that the side cart was missing.

"So where to?" Ken asked as he handed her a helmet. "I hear Tokyo has great places to shop, but that's really not my area of expertise."

"Are you sure you don't mind going that far?"

"Hey! I thought I told you to get that vehicle of school grounds!" Yelled the guard from earlier that morning.

Ken smiled. "Oh this is too perfect…"

Shinobu's eye's widened. "Ken! Don't!"

Ken frowned. "Oh, alright. But only cause you asked so nicely." He calmly pulled away from the school. "So, Tokyo?"

"_Hai_!" Shinobu waved at her friends and classmates as they all looked on it wonder.

***

Ken sat in the waiting area by the changing room of the department store. He was stretched out in his chair with his head lolled back staring at the ceiling. "Hotaru never took this long." He mused silently. "I didn't realize trying on clothes was such a lengthy ordeal. Still, as boring as waiting is, the view is worth the it." Shinobu had tried many outfits on, and each looked better than the last in his opinion.

"Ken?"

He lifted his head, and immediately bolted upright. "You look amazing Shinobu."

The young woman looked down at the short, black with gold embroidery, Chinese style dress she was wearing. "You don't think it's too revealing?" Shinobu twirled around, showing off her outfit.

Ken shook his head dumbly.

Shinobu smiled. "Thanks. I'm going to go pay for my items now."

Ken walked to the front of the store while Shinobu went to change back into her uniform. "Yeah, definitely worth the wait."

***

Shinobu closed the door to her changing room and looked at herself in the mirror. "Was he just being nice? Or did he mean what he said about me?" She wondered aloud. She sighed as she began to change her clothing. "We seem to hang out just fine, and I think that he likes me the same as I like him, but I can't be sure. He's so secretive most of the time." She looked at herself in the mirror, now dressed in her uniform. She reached out and touched the face of her reflection. "He must just be being nice, with out the fancy clothes I'm just to ordinary."

She left the changing room and hung up most of the dresses on the line of returns. Now holding just a few she made her way to the cashier. "Yeah, that must be it. I saw the way the girls at school were watching him, he probably just sees me as a friend or a dorm mate." She sighed. "My mom was right…" Shinobu went through the cashier line, and came out with a very small bag. 

"Didn't you try on more than that?" Ken asked as she approached him.

Shinobu nodded. "_Hai,_ but I can't afford that many all at once, so I just picked my favorites. Sorry to make you wait so long, we can go now."

"I'm in no rush." He assured her. "Hey, you ok? You look like someone just hurt your last feeling."

Shinobu forced a smile. "I'm fine." Ken didn't look convinced, but didn't push the issue. 

"If you say so. Hey, you want to grab something to eat?"

Shinobu began walking out the door towards where Ken had parked down the street. "Sure." As she reached the motorcycle she tried to load her package into the storage rack.

"Hold up Shinobu." Ken cautioned. He reached down and hit a hidden switch behind the rear wheel well, causing a slight crackle of electricity to jump across the bike. "A friend of mine designed an anti-theft system that gives a nasty shock to anyone who touches my bike with out permission."

Shinobu looked down at the motorcycle. "You have some unusual friends."

Ken laughed. "Yeah, she's actually my cousin, not that she knows it. She a tad eccentric, but she's a whiz with machines. I modified this system since her version would have blown my ride up though."

"She sounds interesting." Shinobu replied nervously. "Hey wait, Hotaru said that you two don't have any other family."

Ken stared at her blankly, then turned quickly. "Well, I'm starved! Lets go get something to eat!" He pulled her on the bike behind him. "I know this great place that serves _okonomiaki_ that's to die for!"

Shinobu tightened her grip on Ken as he took off into traffic. "Wait! You didn't answer my question!" They arrived at the small restaurant a few minutes later and entered in silence. "Well?" She asked expectantly as she sat across from Ken.

Ken ordered his meal as the waitress came around.

Shinobu declined to do the same. "I'd rather know why you're avoiding my question."

"Come on!" Ken laughed nervously. "It's really not that important."

Shinobu frowned. "It is to me. You don't like being spied on, but I don't like being lied to."

Ken looked around the room, before sighing heavily. "Look, I'm not lying ok. It's just…family is different were I was raised. Hotaru and I are half-siblings, but you probably guessed that already. There is some family on my side, but none on Hotaru's, so I've never mentioned it to her." He paused. "Nor have I ever talked about my family to anyone."

Shinobu was surprised by this fact and it showed on her face. "You don't talk about them ever?"

Without realizing it Ken gripped at the scars hidden beneath his jacket sleeve. "No, I never have."

Shinobu caught his movement, but didn't call attention to it. "I guess I can understand then." Shinobu admitted. "I don't talk about my family much either."

Ken looked at Shinobu in a new light. "You always seem so upbeat, I never had you pegged as having trouble on the home front."

They paused as the waitress placed Ken's order on the table. He picked at disinterestedly now.

"My parents are getting a divorce." Shinobu stated without warning. "And it's all my fault."

"No way Shinobu." Ken objected. "You had nothing to do with that."

Shinobu smiled a sad smile. "But I did, my parents have only been married fifteen years."

"What does that have to…" Ken began. "Oh…"

Shinobu nodded. "That's right, I'm sixteen." Tears began to form in her eyes. "I was a mistake. My mom told me it was my fault that dad was leaving and that if I didn't behave…"

Before he realized what he was doing, Ken was seated beside Shinobu, embracing her as she cried into his jacket. "Shinobu, you're not a mistake. Don't let anyone ever tell you otherwise." He spoke gently. "One with as pure a soul as yours could never be a mistake. And I though I am unworthy of protecting someone as wonderful as you, I will fight anyone who says otherwise."

Shinobu looked up at the man who held her. "Ken…"

He smiled. "Come on, let's go find something to make you smile again." He dropped a handful of yen next to the uneaten meal. He stood and took her hand, leading her out to the street once again.

Shinobu stopped just outside the door, her emotions a whirlwind within her chest. She had never told that to anyone, nor had she expected him to be so worried about her. This confusion, coupled with her growing feelings for him over the past few weeks, she felt that her heart was about to burst. She had to do something now, while her feelings for him were clear.

Ken turned. "What's the mat…"

Shinobu closed her eyes, raised herself onto her tiptoes and pressed her lips against Ken's. For a moment everything stopped, and nothing happened. She was afraid she had overstepped her bounds, and that her feelings for Ken were unrequited. She was afraid that his concern was just for a friend and nothing more, afraid that she would be alone again as she had once been in her life. Suddenly her worst fears were realized as Ken dropped her hand. Yet just as she was about to pull away, she felt his hands wrap themselves gently around her waist pulling her closer, and he kissed her back. At last however, they broke away from each other. She slowly moved down from her tiptoes stance and opened her eyes looking up at the taller boy.

He opened his eyes slowly, and smiled. "This must be a dream, Motoko isn't trying to kill me."

Shinobu smiled as tears began to form again. She wrapped her arms around Ken and held on to him with all her strength.

"Sh-Shinobu? What's wrong?" Ken asked worriedly.

Shinobu looked up and smiled. "Nothing. Come on, let's go home. I found something that made me smile." She took his hand and began to walk to where the motorcycle was parked.

Ken stopped her as she tried to walk away. As she turned towards him he reached out and wiped the tears from her face. "This is becoming to familiar a scene with you crying." He teased lightly. "No more of that alright? You're to pretty to always have tears on your face."

Shinobu smiled, but shook her head. "These tears aren't sad ones, so they're ok. Now let's go, we should get back, otherwise there won't be anyone to cook dinner for the others."

"The others can fend for themselves for one night." He suggested jokingly as they climbed onto the bike.

"Maybe," Shinobu admitted as she rested her head against Ken's back. "But I don't want to risk ruining this feeling I have right now, so let's just go home."

Ken looked back over his shoulder, before heading for home. "Sure thing, Shinobu-_chan_."

Shinobu smiled as he used the honorific, knowing that this time it wasn't being said for it's child-like endearment. "_Arigato_, Ken-_kun_."

"For what?" He called back over the wind.

Shinobu remembered his words from the restaurant. "For everything."

***

They arrived back at the apartments about an hour later, and stopped in for drinks at the teahouse.

"Well, if I ain't the new couple." Kitsune greeted. She smiled as the two younger tenants blushed. "Well, at least you aren't like Keitaro and Naru getting all tongue tied and denying it."

"Why would we deny it?" asked Ken confused.

Shinobu gasped. "Wait! How do you know already Kitsune?"

"You mean you didn't notice?" Kitsune pointed toward the ceiling.

Ken and Shinobu both looked up to see a mecha-tama-chan reconnaissance camera.

"I'm going to strangle that hyperactive, little…" Ken began. "Ah, crap. What do I care?" He flipped the camera the bird. "I hope you enjoyed the show, 'cause you aren't going to see anymore." He grabbed a teacup off the counter, and hurled it camera, causing both to explode.

"Hey!" Kitsune protested. "You're paying for that!"

Ken shrugged. "Ok." He nodded to Shinobu and they took a seat at one of the booths. "So, you think this will mean I stop getting beaten so often now?"

Shinobu laughed. "Nope, if anything they are going to watch you even closer, and make up reasons to hit you."

Ken sighed. "Oh well, small price to pay…"

"Ken, thank you for what you said earlier, it meant a lot more that you probably realize." Shinobu began.

"Ken! What have you done to Shinobu?!" Demanded Motoko as the teahouse door flew open.

"You broke my tama!" Yelled Su as she pulled out some dangerous looking, newly invented weaponry.

"_Onii-chan_!" Hotaru looked extremely pissed, and was wielding two _kodachis_.

"You jerk!" Declared Naru. "Acting like a playboy with Shinobu!"

Ken sweat dropped multiple times. "Ok, maybe it's going to be a big price to pay…" He swallowed nervously. "This won't end well."

Kitsune grabbed Shinobu and brought her outside the teahouse. "You're not going to want to see this." Kitsune warned as forced Shinobu to head up the stairs to the dorm. She quickened her pace as she heard the first explosion.

"Help!" Screamed Ken as he ran through the streets of Hinata with the pack of girls close behind him. "Police! EMS! FBI! CIA! Secret Service! Riot gear! Hell, the Justice League! Anybody! Help!"

Good? Bad? Other? Let me know. 'Till the next, live well all!


	8. The Return of

A/N: First off, major apologies on slowness (is that a real word?) on updating. Finals are around the corner and I had to buckle down for a little while. Second, in case my banter with walkswithwraiths has upset anyone, please understand that we know each other outside the realm of cyberspace and we poke fun at each other from time to time. So don't feel that if you leave a remark on the review that says I need work on something that I will react the same way because I won't. I value all opinions on my work. Third, if you want a glimpse into my mind, listen to Blue Man Group's "Your Attention Please" during the fight scene. That's what I was listening to as a wrote it, and I just found it really amusing considering who one of the fighters is (sorry wraiths ^-^ I know she's one of your faves) Fourth, to address some questions that were tossed my way by keitaro's clone.

Q1: Hopefully you read chap 7 at this point and that has sort of brought things around, there are also a few more hints in this chap. Don't worry, all will come to light soon.

Q2: No, I don't plan on turning Shinobu into a _chibi_-Motoko. After taking a few psych classes this year, I couldn't help but wonder what would cause Shinobu to develop such a withdrawn personality; that coupled with watching ep. 2 of the anime just kind of lead me to the path that I'm traveling on now. Shinobu taking up the sword is a step towards empowerment, and don't forget that Shinobu is still growing up, so she may very well just want a new hobby as she told Ken in chap 4. I hope somewhere in this rambling I answered your question.

Q3: I don't want to give away too much, otherwise you wouldn't bother reading my story. ^-^ What I will tell you is that right now I have five clans total in my outline, with the possibility of a sixth if I feel I can get it to fit. Stay tuned to find out more.

Ok, think I've bored everyone enough now, so lets move on. Enjoy the show everyone!

Love Hina: Healing Hearts

Disclaimer: Yes, at long last! I own Love Hina! (rider wakes up) Oh, damn, I still don't own it. Doh! _

Chapter Eight: The Return Of…

It was still early yet, but there was movement within the dorm. Motoko made her way up to the roof deck in complete silence. She paused as she heard voices.

"No, not like that." Ken said. "Here, like this, gentle movements."

"Oh, was I being to rough with it before?" Shinobu asked.

Motoko's eyes bulged out of her head as she over heard the conversation. "No way! They wouldn't be doing that, especially up here!" She screamed silently.

Suddenly Ken yelped in pain. "Careful! That hurts!"

"_Gomen nasai_!" Shinobu offered apologetically.

"It's alright, you're still learning. Now try again." Ken encouraged. "Keep your left hand tight around the base and your right at the top, but a little bit loose. Don't strangle it."

"Oh, ok. Hey! You're right that is easier!" Shinobu cried happily.

Motoko stood in complete and total shock as she listened from her hiding spot. "This can't be happening! This isn't happening!" She chanted silently.

"That's much better." Ken complimented. "Now remember, smooth, and gentle movements. Good, up and down, perfect."

"Like this?" She asked timidly.

"Almost, don't shut you eyes or you won't see it co…"

"That's it! I've heard enough!" Yelled Motoko as she charge up the remaining steps with her sword drawn.

Ken turned to the older girl. "Hey Motoko. What's wrong?"

Motoko face faulted as she viewed the scene. Shinobu stood holding her new katana, with a left over right grip, while Ken faced her with a practice sword in his right hand. "What the hell is going on here?"

Shinobu blinked. "Ken was just helping me train a little while I waited for you." She paused seeing the blush on Motoko's face. "What did you think was going on?"

Ken started to chuckle lightly and had to turn away, hoping it wouldn't be noticed.

Shinobu was now very confused. "_Nani_?"

Ken turned back to the girls, still chuckling. "I think Motoko was being a dirty old _ronin_!" He began to laugh harder as he watched the blush on her face go even brighter. "I'm right aren't I?"

Motoko growled at him. "Shut up! I was not!"

Ken simply continued to laugh. "This is great! You're such a prude about everything, and now you thought that Shinobu and I were…"

"I said shut up! Rock Splitting Sword!" Motoko brought her blade down from above her head, launching a huge ki wave at the laughing boy, sending him flying over the roof, and down into the _onsen_. Motoko breathed heavily for a moment before recomposing herself. "Come Shinobu, let's begin our warm up."

Shinobu looked over to where Ken had landed, although she couldn't see him, she knew he was all right. "_Hai, sensei_!" She quickly assumed her ready stance, and soon she and Motoko were moving through their morning _katas_. "So, what did you really think that Ken and I were really doing?"

Motoko almost lost her step through the routine. "Nothing. Now focus." She watched the younger girl shrug and continue on, leaving Motoko to her own thoughts. 

It had been just shy of a month since the Shinobu and Ken had been caught on camera in Tokyo together. At first Motoko, along with the others, had feared that Ken had taken advantage of Shinobu's sweet and sometimes naïve nature. After watching them however, she wasn't so sure. 

Shinobu had brightened even more than what she used to be and went about her day with an extra boost of energy. She was more focused in her training with Motoko, as well as her academic studies. In all, she seemed to be taking better care of herself than she used to, and Motoko was surprised to see how much she had grown in such a short time as a result. In Motoko's opinion, Shinobu had always been _kawaii_, but now she seemed to be almost competing with Naru in the looks department. Motoko blushed slightly as she realized that she was a bit jealous of the younger girl, and turned her thoughts to something other than Shinobu and her changes as a result of her new relationship. That however was short lived as her mind wandered to Ken.

He too had changed over the past month. He had always been something of a wildcard at the dorm. No one was ever sure what he was thinking or planning at any one given moment, but now he seemed to have settled into a routine. He had always helped, but now he seemed more dependable. He helped out more with the chores, sometimes having most of the housework done even before everyone even woke up in the morning. He also drove the girls to and from school in the morning regularly. Even Motoko had accepted rides from him on occasion, although she had screamed the first time when he gunned the engine. She was still convinced that he had done so on purpose. When he was around the dorm, Ken was often found with Shinobu and Hotaru, either playing a game or helping out with something or other. He also had been spending more time with Su, which irked Motoko for a reason she could not understand. However, it was when he was alone with Shinobu that Motoko couldn't figure out. He never tried to do anything.

Motoko could remember when Naru and Keitaro had first become a couple all they had seemingly done was make out. Shinobu and Ken however hadn't done anything, or at least never been caught doing anything. When they were together, which was a great majority of the time, they just went sight seeing or talked. It was a common sight at the Hinata-sou now to Ken sitting behind Shinobu with his arms gently wrapped around her as they watched the city from the roof, talking quietly. Aside from that, and the occasional little kiss, one would never even know that they were supposed to be a couple.

"Still," Motoko smiled as she mused silently. "I suppose that's better than having them act like dogs in heat. Maybe Ken isn't as bad a guy as I first thought."

***

"Damn, crazy, out of her mind, sadistic, trippin', schizophrenic, little…" Ken grumbled as he placed his head under the water of the hot tub. After getting soaked in the large spring, he had decided to take a bath. However, wanting to make sure that all parts of his body remained attached, he retired to the old standby tub that Keitaro used to use. He stayed beneath the water a moment more venting his frustrations verbally into the muffled safety of the water before surfacing again. "I know you're supposed to start winter break with a bang and all, but that was nucking futs."

He climbed out of the tub and scrubbed himself off at the sink. He glanced over at the mirror on the far wall, and turned away in disgust. "This is never going to work." He thought sadly. "Sooner or later, she's going to find out. Come spring and summer, she'll start to wonder why I'm still wearing long clothing in the hot weather." He looked up into the mirror again and moved closer to it, examining himself once again. "You sure had your fun with me, didn't you?" 

Without warning his anger surfaced and he shattered the mirror with his fist. He stared down at the broken shards of glass. Multiple fragments stared back. He walked away; glancing only once at his hand, the cut was already healing. He thrust his hand into the hot tub water to rinse away the faint trace of blood and drained the tub. He dressed quickly in a pair of baggy jeans and long sleeve, dark green shirt, and his trademark black leather jacket. He didn't have the energy to fight with his hair now to spike it up, so he simply pulled it back into a tail that fell just below his shoulders. "I should really get this cut, I really haven't since dropping Hotaru off here for my trip." He sighed. "Maybe tomorrow." He cleaned up the glass on the ground and turned for the door. 

He stopped however as he heard someone approaching from the other side. It was too early for Kitsune to be awake, and the footsteps were to light for Naru yet to heavy for Hotaru. Su never walked anywhere, her rampages could be heard from down the block. And Motoko and Shinobu were both on the deck still. Ken narrowed his eyes.

"Hey?" Called a female voice softly. "Are you in there?"

Ken didn't recognize the voice. Whoever it was, he got an uneasy feeling from her. Between not knowing who was there, and the slight fear of being discovered with a girl in the bath by the others, he decided to make a tactical retreat. He moved quickly and dove headlong over the railing into the trees, flipping and twirling off the branches on his way to the ground. He landed softly, making no sound, and glanced up toward the third floor room he had been on just a moment earlier. He heard the door slide open, and he pressed himself against the wall, to avoid detection. Unfortunately, from here he could not see her either. After hearing the door slide shut again, he made his move.

He circled around the building and entered the front door. He searched the first floor for any sign of intrusion by this unknown woman. He found none, and that unnerved him, there were not many who could move freely without leaving any kind of trail. He quickly moved to the second floor, but again found nothing. "What the hell is going on here?" He whispered as he moved to the third floor, and made his way silently down the hallway. As he passed the door to Motoko's room, it slid open.

"Good, someone is awake. Su, have you seen…" The woman paused as Ken turned around. "Who the hell are you? A thief?" The woman demanded.

Ken faced her confidently. "I live here. Who the hell are you?" He studied her a moment, pale skin, medium length black hair tied in a long white sash, and a black dress with a white vest.

Suddenly the woman attacked. "That is an outright lie. This is a girls dorm, and you are most definitely not a girl."

Ken was stunned by her speed, and barely managed to avoid the blow. He raised his arm and caught her strike between his arm and his body, trapping her in place. "Look, my friends are still sleeping and I don't appreciate…" 

The rest of his sentence was cut off as the woman kneed him in the stomach. As he doubled over, the woman broke from his grasp and spun, planting her left elbow into Ken's forehead. The force of her blow knocked him over and sent him skidding down the hall floor on his back. He reached back with one hand and used the momentum to handspring himself back onto his feet.

"Don't touch me." The woman ordered. "Now tell me what you're doing here."

Ken looked down the hall at his opponent. "I already did that."

The woman's thus far emotionless face frowned. "Very well, I'll just remove you from the building then. Once you're gone I really won't care."

Ken laughed at her. "Go ahead and try." He stood up and moved himself into an open fight stance. "I admit I underestimated you, but you should have used that advantage to deal a lot stronger hit, 'cause I'm not about to let you do that again." He rubbed the rising bump on his head, and frowned. "That really friggin' hurt, you psycho."

"It was supposed to." She replied sarcastically as she brushed a stray black hair from her eyes. She watched him intently for a moment then charged again, knowing his open stance offered him no protection. She punched a hole straight through his chest and gasped as the image faded around her arm. It was then that she heard a soft humming, much like one would hear from someone playing air-guitar.

"Please yell if you are paying attention."

She looked down toward the sound of the voice just in time to see Ken's palm piston up into her belly, causing her to cry out. She twisted away quickly however and recovered. "Not bad, but you should have used your fist." She kicked backwards with out turning striking Ken in the jaw.

"Dammit!" Ken yelled in frustration as he steadied himself. "Who the hell is she?" He thought silently. "I may actually have to take off the kid gloves for this one." He rolled out of the way of another attack and back hand-sprung down the stairs to the lower floor. "At this rate she'll wake everyone up. Have to lead her outside."

"Running away are we?" The woman leapt down the entire staircase in one shot, landing with the poise of a cat.

"Ok, that was cool." Ken admitted, as he dodged another kick. He dropped to the ground and swept her other leg, tumbling her to the ground. He rolled from this position to scissor kick her across the chest. In return, she grabbed his ankle and gave it a sharp twist. Ken grunted in pain and rolled away.

The woman also rolled away and crouched into a low fight stance. She was surprised to see that Ken was also standing after her attack. She paused a moment. "Have you been singing this entire time?"

"Humming actually." Ken corrected her. "Like I said, my friend are still sleeping, otherwise, no wait, I wouldn't sing anyway because I don't like you."

The woman did not change her expression. "Like I care if you like me or not." She studied him a carefully. "I must admit, no one else has made me work this long or hard in a fight other than my grandmother."

Ken raised an eyebrow. "I'm flattered…I think."

"However, I think it is time to end this." She amended. "Prepare yourself for defeat."

"Whatever." Ken replied. He watched her for a moment, and suddenly she vanished. He smiled. "Not bad, lady. Not bad at all." He spun quickly and grabbed her wrist as she attempted a knife-edge chop to the back of his head.

"How?" the woman cried.

Ken continued his movement and flipped the woman over his head and onto the ground. He pinned her on her stomach and quickly removed her hair sash, using it to bind her wrists behind her back. He then lifted her legs to bind her wrists to her ankles. Once she was secure, he sat down against the wall, gingerly rubbing his bruises. "Ok, now maybe we can talk with out fists flying all over."

"Bite me." The woman replied.

"Careful." Ken admonished with a smirk. "I'm not the one who looks like she's auditioning for a role in a _hentai_ dating sim."

The woman's eyes widened. "You wouldn't dare!"

Ken nodded. "Yeah, you're right. I wouldn't." He stood up slowly.

The woman followed his movements with her eyes. "Where are you going?"

Ken didn't turn back. "You won't tell me who you are, or why you're here, so I'm calling the cops. I'll let them sort it out, because like you said, 'once you're gone I really won't care'."

Suddenly the door slid open to Keitaro and Naru's room, revealing Naru in one of her worst moods in the history of the Hinata-sou's existence. "It is eight in the morning on the first day of vacation. So what's with all the racket!?"

Ken backed away slowly from the cranky tenant. "Just an intruder Naru, already dealt with. Go ahead back to sleep, I'll deal with it."

Naru looked over to where the woman was bound on the floor, and started to laugh. "Oh _kami_! Is that you Kanako?"

"Shut up!" Kanako growled as she fought at her restraints. "Just untie me so I can go hand that guy his head!"

"All opposed to that idea, raise your hand." Ken said. A second later he raised his hand.

"What's going on?" Keitaro appeared in the doorway rubbing the sleep from his eyes. The landlord's eyes bulged from his face as he saw his sister on the ground in her compromising position.

Kanako did her best to look away as her face flushed in embarrassment. Her color deepened as she heard the click of a camera and heard Kitsune start laughing.

"Oh this is priceless!" Kitsune giggled as she snapped a few more shots. "Guys! Check this out!"

Motoko and Shinobu rushed down from the roof, and stopped stone still as they entered the room, before they started cracking up.

Kanako screamed in frustration. "Damn you all! Someone untie me!" She gave Ken an ice-cold glare. "You are dead once I'm loose."

Ken turned and went downstairs quickly. "I'll be in the kitchen if anyone needs me, hiding all the sharp objects that I find."

***

 A few minutes later everyone was seated in the dinning room eating breakfast. Su and Kitsune were ripping into Kanako mercilessly as they passed the Polaroid pictures back and forth.

Kanako for her part was attempting to obtain possession of those pictures so that she could destroy them

 Ken talked quietly with Shinobu and Hotaru as he held an ice pack on a comically large bump on his head. True to her threat, the moment Kanako had been freed she went after Ken with one of Haruka's paper fans that had been left lying around. 

Motoko attempted to be the peacemaker and get Su and Kanako to stop bickering. Not long into that attempt Motoko was also arguing with them.

 At the end of the table, Naru and Keitaro wondered who had conspired against them to ruin their first morning to sleep in following their hectic mid-term testing marathon.

"So what brings you back to us? Kitsune asked Kanako.

"Grandmother was curious to see how things were progressing here." Kanako looked over at Naru's hand catching a glimpse of the gold band that rested there. "Things seem to be well." She turned to face her brother. "Unfortunately, grandmother will not be able to return for a visit for sometime yet, but she has told me that I may stay if I wish too."

Keitaro nodded. "It'll be great to have you around again, though it is too bad that granny couldn't make it as well."

"She sends her best wishes instead." Kanako handed Keitaro an envelope.

Keitaro frowned slightly before hiding it. "I see."

Su suddenly climbed up behind Keitaro. "What's that? Is there anything yummy in there?"

The rest of the table sweat dropped.

"Didn't you just eat breakfast Su?" Hotaru asked.

"Huh?" asked Su innocently.

Hotaru sighed. "Never mind."

***

"You know it's moments like these that I don't understand you." Shinobu leaned her head back and rested it on Ken's shoulder. "If you could go up against Kanako and receive only a few bruises for your troubles, why would you let the other girls attack you as readily as you do?"

Ken had been looking out over the city, but turned to stare into the deep blue eyes of the girl in his arms. "What's not to understand? I really don't like to fight."

Shinobu blinked in confusion. "But the other night you said you went to fight after you became so angry."

Ken nodded. "When I fight, it's usually because I'm angry, I'll admit that. But I'll also fight if I think someone important to me is in danger or getting picked on." He looked away for a moment. "I've spent to much time fighting, I'd rather just try to avoid them all together, you know?" He looked back at Shinobu and smiled. "Besides that, if I fought them seriously, not only would they kick me out of here, but I might seriously hurt them."

Shinobu laughed. "Big words from a guy who still has bruises on his face." She tapped his chin causing him to wince a bit. "I'm so sorry!"

"_Daishobu_ _Shinobu_-_chan_." Ken smiled. "But I think I may have to get even with you for that!"

Shinobu's eyes widened. "Oh no!" She erupted into a fit of giggles as Ken began to tickle her mercilessly. She tried desperately to get away from him but he held her in place. After a few minutes he relented and she fell back against his chest completely out of breath. She looked up at his grinning face, and couldn't help but smile back.

Ken looked out at the city once again. "So, did you have anything in particular you wanted to do over vacation?"

Shinobu shook her head. "No, I'm sure we'll find something to do."

Good? Bad? Other? Please rate and review. 'Till the next, live well all!


	9. Only In Dreams or Why We Are The Way We ...

A/N: Well, I intended to update yesterday, but my computer crashed, leaving me more than a little irate. (Read as: riderofdragons got so pissed at his computer he blew it away with a gattling gun and then danced for joy through the burning wreckage) Ok, maybe I over reacted a bit. ^-^ Anyway, it took most of the night to reload my files from what I archived to CD, unfortunately chap 9 wasn't one of those lucky files. _  So, sorry for the delay. 

On an unrelated note, when I started this fic, I honestly didn't think that anyone would give it much consideration. So, I was quite surprised to find that I've gotten such support. Some of you even listed me as a favorite author, and I am honored. I was surprised that I was listed as such because you guys until now I didn't know about the stats page, and you guys haven't left a review. So to those who are reading in the background, I wish to thank you for your silent support. Thanks too, to all who have reviewed thus far. 

Ok, I'm done now. Enjoy everyone!

Love Hina: Healing Hearts

Disclaimer: You guys know the drill by now, but here we go again just in case. I don't own Love Hina, but the original characters are mine.

Chapter Nine: Only In Dreams or Why We Are The Way We Are

The young girl watched as the adults fought. She remained silent hoping that if she was quiet, they would stop yelling. She couldn't even tell what they were saying anymore, but she knew it had to have something to do with her. It was always her fault, her mother had told her so. Even when they were on vacation, she couldn't be a good girl. 

Suddenly a plate shattered against the wall, leaving a trail of food sliding down the wall. She ran from the inn room her family was staying in. She wasn't sure if the adults had thrown the plate, or if she had, but either way she couldn't stand the fighting any more. She pulled a small note from her pocket as she ran up the stairs to the deck, holding it tight against her chest as she climbed over the railing and onto the roof.

It was raining. Not any ordinary rain, but a thunderstorm unlike the region had seen in years. She couldn't let that stop her though; she had to get this to the secret spot. He had to know that she had been there, that she hadn't forgotten about their promise. She couldn't break her promise to him! If she could get her note to their spot, he would know why she couldn't come. Suddenly, the wind gusted strong once again. Her foot slipped, and she began to fall. She screamed out for help, and then the world went black.

***

The young girl awoke to find she was laying on a futon covered with a blanket. "Where am I?"

"Oh good! You're awake!" A boy looking at least twice as old as her came over to her bedside from where he sat at the table. "You scared me half to death falling off the roof like that." He smiled down at her. "Luckily you fell on me, rather than the ground!"

The little girl sat up slowly and looked at the boy a moment before hanging her head. "I'm so sorry."

The boy smiled. "Don't worry about it. See? Only a small bump." He leaned down to let the girl see the small welt. "My granny says that I'm invincible."

The girl smiled and then franticly began looking through her pockets for her note. "Oh no! Where is it? I can't lose it! Not now!"

The boy pulled a wet, but intact envelope from his back pocket. "This?"

The girl sprang up suddenly and grabbed the letter out of his hand and turned away. 

Though surprised, the boy was more concerned that the girl was crying. "What's wrong?" He circled around the futon and crouched next to the girl, wiping the tears from her deep blue eyes.

She looked up as her tears continued to fall. "It's ruined." He voice was soft and sad. "Now he'll think that I broke our promise, and he'll hate me just like everyone else does."

The boy frowned, he new how important promises were. "I'll fix it up for you. I'll even put it up on the roof for you so you won't fall again."

The little girl looked up at the boy. "Really?" Her face broke into a smile as the boy nodded. "_Arigato gozimasu onii-chan_!" She leaned forward giving the boy a hug.

The two children turned as an old woman entered the room. "Ah, there you are little one. Your father has been looking all over for you. It seems that it is time for you to go home now."

The little girl nodded. "_Hai_."

The young boy watched as she left the room and slid the door shut. "Grandma? How come that girl was so sad?"

The hold woman sat down at the table and sighed heavily. "There is much in her life that she cannot control, and it rips at her heart."

The boy frowned. "That's terrible! Why can't we do something to help her?" His grandmother reached out and patted him lovingly on the head.

"Alas, there is nothing we can do, not yet anyway. There are things already set in motion that you do not yet know about. Do not worry, you will help her by delivering that letter to her friend." She smiled. "When the time comes, you will help them both to heal their hearts."

They boy cocked his head to one side, completely confused. "I don't understand."

The old woman nodded. "Nor should you yet. Now, didn't you make a promise to fix that?" She pointed at the letter.

The boy nodded and got to work. With in a few hours he managed to recreate the letter along with the drawing that had been inside, although a bit crudely. However, he couldn't decipher whom the letter was intended for. "Hopefully he'll know by her name, _Shinonome_." He smiled. "What an unusual and pretty name." 

He placed the papers in a plastic bag and headed up to the roof. Once there he found a small passage hidden beneath one of the shingles, and placed the bag there, before walking away content with his work.

The letter would remain there for the entire summer, and many more after that.

***

"_Onii-chan_!"

The boy looked down from where he sat in the tall, overgrown tree, to see a young girl with short, light brown hair and hazel eyes. "_Nani_?"

The girl cupped her hands around her mouth, to increase the sound of her voice. "Papa wants to talk with you!"

The boy frowned, but hid that fact from his little sister. He jumped down from the tree branch, occasionally slowing his descent by flipping from the other branches, landing softly without a sound.

"You're getting pretty good at that." The girl complimented. "The others might soon think that you're the Avatar of Wood rather than me!"

He smiled. "That reminds me," He reached beneath his jacket. "I was wondering if maybe you were ready to take care of _Genseiri_ now?" He held the long dagger with the handle towards her.

She stared at the ornate carvings of roses and ivy on the dark wood of the handle. "But, I'm not ready…"

The boy smiled. "Yes you are. _Onegai, imouto_." He smiled as she took the blade. "Take good care of it, ya?"

"I will!" The girl nodded.

The boy turned and began to walk away. Now that his face was hidden from her again, his frown returned. "I suppose it is time." He whispered softly.

He moved quickly through the hallways that were a part of the place he had once called home, until he came to the door of his father's "study", as he called it. His father allowed no weapons into this room, with good reason. The boy rested his swords against the wall, gazing at them a moment. They were nearly identical except for the fact that one was sheathed in white ivory, while the other was encased in black onyx. "Good bye my friends." Though bereft of his swords, he was not unarmed. He fingered the subtle shape of his weapon hidden beneath his sleeve. He clenched his fist and entered the room. "I won't allow this to continue."

"You're late." Stated his father. "When I send for you, you're response should be immediate."

The boy felt his lip twitch. "My apologies, My Lord." He spat out the last to words in disgust.

The taller man walked over to his son and roughly backhanded him. He frowned as the boy's head turned from the force of the blow, but otherwise did respond. "You disappoint me boy. You've changed ever since you befriended that girl at the inn. You are not to see her anymore, it interferes with your focus."

"I'll do whatever I want to old man." The boy's head snapped back the other way as he was hit again. His father stepped away. 

"I would have thought that you would have learned that it is not in your best interests to challenge me by now." He picked up a long katana up from where it hung against the wall. "Too much of your mother in you I suppose. Still, your resilience is admirable, though it will also be your undoing." He turned to see that the boy still had not moved since being struck. "Get over here boy!"

At last the boy turned his head. "Go to hell. I found the logs you kept hidden in library, you lied to me, to all of us." He gripped his hands into tighter fists, causing his nails to cut into his palms. He continued to talk as small rivulets of blood fell to the floor. "All this time, you lied to us. Everything we've been denied, everything you inflicted on us in the name of training, it wasn't about justice, you just wanted revenge for being beaten." He looked up and smiled at his father. "Well I quit. I'll be damned if I'm going to follow a liar and a murderer."

The older man was furious now. "I said get over here! Or shall I let your siblings take part in this punishment as well?"

The young boy snarled. "I've never let you touch them, and I won't now either." He reached for his sleeve where his _shinobi_ throwing stars were. Suddenly his father was right before him, and roughly grasped at his sleeve. The boy howled in pain as the sharp blades cut into his flesh.

"You insolent brat!" The old man squeezed harder. "I will beat this defiance you inherited from your mother from you once and for all!" He unsheathed the long sword and brought it down upon the boy.

The boy cried out in pain as the steel bit into his flesh. He felt the wind at his back as the blade was raised again, before piercing his skin again.

Something began to crack in the boy's mind. A small, white flame suddenly grew larger, yet it did not brighten or grow hotter. Instead it cooled down and paled to a dull gray color.

The old man laughed at the cries of pain as he raised his blade for a third strike. "It seems you're not as strong as you think my son. I'll even bet that your sisters are stronger than you!" He began to lower the blade again.

The flame darkened further and grew larger still. The boy cried out in pain as he saw his blood hit the floor.

"Ahh yes." The father laughed. "That will be a fitting punishment. I will make you watch as I punish them as well."

The blade fell again.

At last the barrier broke down. The flame transformed into a raging fire, but the flames were black and cold. He felt it spread through his body until it consumed his heart. He cried out against everything he had been put through out his young life, and felt his pain explode from his body.

The old man tried to attack again as the barriers cracked and were thrown a way. His blade was stopped mere inches his son's flesh, as the scream reached his ears the blade flew back striking him in the face, leaving a bloody gash. He stumbled backward and fell to the floor staring at the young boy. A moment later the room was consumed in an explosion of black energy. "It cant' be! He's awakened his _rei_! He'll kill us all!" A moment later a second explosion followed and the world went black.

***

Shinobu woke up to a chorus of screams echoing through out the Hinata-sou. It was only after a few minutes that she realized the one of the voices was her own, and that she had tears falling freely down her face. After she felt that she had calmed herself enough she when in search of the others. She heard the clamor of footsteps on the stairs and rushed to meet Motoko, Su, Kanako, and Hotaru. A moment later the doors on the second floor opened as Kitsune, Naru, and Keitaro entered the hall.

"Is everyone ok?" Asked the landlord.

Shinobu nodded as she held onto Hotaru, comforting the younger girl as she continued to cry. "I think so, what happened?"

"I don't know about the rest of y'all, but I must have had one freakish dream." Kitsune admitted as she tried to pour herself some sake to calm her badly shaking nerves.

Su climbed up and perched herself on Motoko's back. "Me too."

Motoko nodded. "It felt as though someone invaded my dreams, forcing their thoughts upon me with a force like I've never experienced."

"I agree." Concurred Kanako. "Someone's ki is responsible for this."

Motoko shook her head. "It was similar to ki, but all together different at the same time, it felt to powerful." She shivered. "It was also ice cold."

Naru looked around at all the tenants, who nodded their heads in agreement. "Well, at least everyone seems to be unharmed."

Shinobu looked around nervously now. "Where's Ken?" She gently separated herself from Hotaru and ran down the hall to Ken's room. "Ken?" She pressed her ear against the door and heard something on the other side. She opened the door and took a step back in surprise. 

His room looked as though one of Su's larger bombs had been detonated with in it recently. The windows were either cracked or completely blown out. There were scorch marks on the wall as well as the floor, and the few pieces of furniture that had been in the room were fragmented everywhere. The most shocking sight however was that of Ken sitting in the middle of his room, the seeming epicenter of what ever had occurred, and he was curled into a ball, rocking back and forth.

"I'm not him…I'm me…I'm Ken…I'm strong…He can't hurt me anymore…" Ken chanted this over and over as though in shock.

Hotaru pushed her way past where Shinobu stood at the door. "_Onii-chan_?"

Ken reacted violently and scrambled over to the furthest corner of the room. He faced the wall and began to rock back and forth again as he tried to cover his back with his hands as he hugged himself. "No more, please no more…I've bled so much for you all already…so much blood…no more blood…I have no more blood…it's all gone… no more…no more blood…no more life…I'm dead…no more…"

Hotaru began to cry harder. "_Onii-chan_! What wrong with you?"

Ken rocked faster. "No more…so much blood…no more blood…how am I alive with no blood? …it must be his blood…it's not my blood…he has no blood? …I'm still here…"

Shinobu raced across the short distance that separated them, and wrapped her arms around him. The moment they touched he instantly quieted. "Shh, it's ok, no more, you're with friends. Please Ken, calm down? You're scaring Hotaru…and me." Ken looked up into her eyes, but the eyes she saw weren't the confident, playful, and sometimes secretive eyes that she had come to expect to see. He was afraid. These eyes belonged to a scared little boy. At last he nodded and rested his head against her shoulder. A few minutes later he was asleep.

***

The others all went down stairs where Kitsune put up a pot of coffee. "Are you sure we should leave the three of them up there?"

Kanako looked over at the resident fox. "You want to try to pull Shinobu and Hotaru away from him? The damn little kid nearly clawed my eyes out when I tried to take her out of there. She's as psycho as her brother."

Naru raised an eyebrow. "Like you're so normal goth girl?"

"Shut up you cockroach!" Kanako shot back.

"Why you!" Naru stood up quickly ready to fight.

"Come on!" Kanako taunted.

"_Ano_…" Keitaro tried to catch their attention. "Are you sure this is the best time for you two to be doing this?"

Kitsune poured everyone a very large cup of coffee. "So what happened anyway?"

"It will take some time to understand fully, but someone invaded our home somehow using ki." Motoko stated as she sipped at her coffee. "It affected our dreams, that's why we all reacted the same way."

"But Ken's reaction was a lot more violent, the poor guy seems like he's about to have a nervous break down." Kitsune rested her head against the table. "Oh, thinking this early in the morning is exhausting."

Kanako took another sip of her coffee. "But, why did Ken react that way?" She glanced over at Motoko. "Is it possible that he was the cause? And weren't you the one that said it wasn't ki?"

Motoko nodded. "I did, but the more I think about it, it's the only thing that makes sense. What else could possibly affect us on that level?" She paused and stared at the contents of her mug. "As for Ken being the source it's impossible, he has no ki of any kind. I've been trying to sense him on a regular basis, but there is simply nothing there."

Naru looked concerned. "I take it that's a bad thing?"

Motoko nodded. "The only things that I have encountered in my training with no ki are dead bodies. Everything else gives off at least a little bit."

Su picked her head up out of her mug where she had fallen back to sleep. "Hey! Didn't he say something about being dead during his going crazy thing?"

Motoko suddenly remembered those words. "He did…" She turned to the others. "Everyone listen, once Ken wakes up we need to separate him from Shinobu and Hotaru long enough for me to talk privately with him. There are to many questions he needs to answer, but it will be to dangerous to let any of you near him when I confront him."

Keitaro leaned forward. "Shouldn't I be the one to talk to him then? I have proven to be near immortal after all."

Motoko shook her head. "You're body is impervious to harm, but you have no defense against spiritual attacks."

"Based on the fact that we all woke up crying like babies suggests to me that you don't either." Pointed out Kanako to the other girl.

"And when did Ken become public enemy number one in this little endeavor?" Remarked Kitsune. "You did say he wasn't the cause."

"I'm not as certain any more." Motoko sipped again at her coffee, and glanced at Kanako. "I wasn't prepared for such an attack before, now I will be able to be on guard. It won't happen again. And I didn't cry like a baby."

Kanako grinned. "Oh yes you did!"

"No I didn't!" Motoko yelled back.

Su's head popped up again. "Yes you did. Remember? We were lying right next to each other in bed when you…"

"Shut up Su!" Motoko yelled at the other girl.

A light bulb suddenly turned on in Keitaro's head. "Wait! You mean you and Su still sleep together?" A small trickle of blood leaked down from his nose.

"What the hell is wrong with you?!" Demanded Naru as she strangled her fiancé. "Did you forget that I'm right here? _Hentai baka_!" She executed an impeccable uppercut that sent Keitaro flying up through the roof.

Kitsune sat back and drank deeply from her cup. "It's so nice to see we're all so serious in the face of this seemingly catastrophic threat to our home." She laughed as she heard Keitaro begging for his life and finished her drink. "Where's my camera?"

***

Shinobu's eyes fluttered open and she immediately bolted upright. "How did I get back to my room?" She quickly made her way to the room beside her own and threw open the door. "Ken? What the…"

The room was immaculate. The furniture was clean and polished. There were no burns that could be seen anywhere. There wasn't even a stray shard of glass from the windows that had been destroyed. Ken was also gone.

Shinobu rushed down stairs to the kitchen, thinking that maybe he was hungry after missing breakfast, but he wasn't there either. She ran to the third floor to Hotaru's room. "Where's your brother?"

Hotaru groggily pulled the covers down from her head. "Huh?" Her eyes widened as she recognized her surroundings. "What the hell…"

"Later, where's Ken?" Shinobu asked again.

Hotaru jumped up from her futon. "Did you not see me just sleeping? How should I know where he is?" She turned as she heard the sound of a motorcycle was heard on the street, and glanced at Shinobu.

Nothing was said, they just started running toward the door. They crashed through Naru and Keitaro, sending the unfortunate couple into the wall as they passed. Su looked up long enough from her magazine on the couch to see the girls run passed and followed behind. Motoko and Kanako made the mistake of poking their heads out to see what the commotion was, and were instantly flattened by the three girls. At last the front door was reached and thrown wide where the girls crashed into Ken.

"Hey! What's the rush?" Ken somehow managed to prevent the girls from falling to the ground, but was forced to sacrifice his bags in his arms to the force of gravity, with an audible crash. "I was only gone a couple hours, but if this is the homecoming I'm going to receive, I'll have to do this more often." He teased.

The four trampled members of the Hinata-sou suddenly appeared from thin air. "No you will not!"

Ken let go of the girls and began to collect the items he had dropped on the ground. "So what's got you all worked up anyway? Did something happen while I was out?"

Shinobu looked at him in shocked silence for a moment. "You mean you don't remember?"

Ken blinked in confusion. "Remember what?"

A/N: I realized that I forgot to note something from chap seven. _Hiraishin_, the name of the nunchaku weapons used, translates to "lightening rods". And in this chap you have _Genseiri_, which means "virgin forest". Also, name meanings made an appearance here, so I hope these won't be spoilers, but rather teasers. _Shinonome_ means "daybreak or dawn", and _Ken_ means "strong and healthy". Hope that adds a bit to the story. If not, it will have more meaning later.

Good? Bad? Other? Drop me a line and let me know. 'Till the next, live well all.


	10. Test and Tempers

No note this time! Enjoy everyone!

Love Hina: Healing Hearts

Disclaimer: You know the drill. Ken Akamatsu own Love Hina, not I. I can only claim the original characters I've created for the story itself.

Chapter Ten: Tests and Tempers

Two men stood facing each other in the dim candle light of the room.

"Why hasn't Saburo reported in?" The taller man began.

The second shook his head. "I don't know, My Lord. He has vanished without a trace."

"Impossible." Replied the first. "His training it not so advanced. He is there somewhere. Find him."

The second man nodded. "I have given the assignment to the Avatar of Wind. She will find him and bring him back."

"She had better." The first spat. "I've had enough of failures from my children, I will tolerate no more."

"Then perhaps I should not tell you this." The second paused.

"What is it?" The first demanded.

"The Avatar of Wood is also missing."

***

"Ok everyone! Pencils down!" Naru called as she entered the dinning room carrying a tray of snacks.

"I think I did well on that one." Motoko took a soda from Naru's tray. "Hey! Put that pencil down Ken!"

Ken looked up blinking in confusion. "Huh?"

Motoko grabbed the pencil from his hand. "You only get an hour on that part of the test. You can't just keep going."

"Oh, right the test…"

Shinobu stretched her arms above her head. "Should we grade them now, or wait?"

Su jumped over the table to where Naru had placed a rather large bunch of bananas. "Now! Now!"

Ken paled. "Maybe we should wait?"

"The Neo Roninz never waits!" Su replied around a mouthful of bananas.

"Oh no!" Ken joked in mock fear. "I've become one of the Neo Roninz!"

Naru laughed. "Well, it's not the most stunning endorsement, but it'll have to do. Now let's see how you did." She reached across the table and snatched Ken's test away.

"Yes." Kanako pulled out her answer guide, and glared at Su. "This time I'll beat your score."

Su just laughed manically.

With the exception of Ken, whose test was still in Naru's possession, everyone began to grade their practice tests.

"Yes!" Su waved her test in the air triumphantly. "A new high score for Su! Ninety-seven! Beat that!"

"Damn it!" Kanako threw her pencil down. "She beat me by three points again."

Ken sweat dropped. "You don't like to lose do you?"

"Do you know of anyone who does?"

"Good point."

"Something must be wrong here." Motoko began checking her answer sheet again.

Su draped her arms over her friend's shoulders. "What did you gets Motokies?"

Motoko slumped in her chair. "I only got an eighty-two."

"That's still above the cut off though isn't it?" Ken asked confused.

Motoko nodded. "Barely."

Ken shrugged. "Still made it. So how'd you do, Shinobu?"

The girl looked close to tears.

Ken put his arm around her. "It's alright…"

Shinobu slammed her test down on the table, laughing. "Take that Su! Ninety-eight percent!"

Su grabbed up the test. "No way!" She scanned the markings. "Ahhh! She did beat me!" She ran from the room. "My alternate reality device must have switched on again!"

Everyone sweat dropped.

"Alternate…" Began Ken.

"Reality…" continued Shinobu.

"Device?" finished Motoko.

It was quickly forgotten as they realized there was one test score left to be announced.

"So how'd Ken do, Naru?" Shinobu asked.

Naru didn't answer right away. "_Ano_…"

Ken stood up and reached for a soda. "So does anyone feel like heading to the mall or something? We've been cooped up in here a long time now." He took a long gulp of his soda. "Besides, Christmas is right around the corner so even just watching people go crazy in preparation will be fun!"

"I wouldn't mind getting my gift shopping done early this year." Shinobu admitted. "But lets hear your score first."

Ken sweat dropped again. "Oh come on, that's not important!"

Kanako grabbed the back of Ken's head and forcefully lowered it to the table. "Enough stalling."

Naru looked over at Ken completely bewildered. "Did you even understand the test? This is the worst test I've ever seen. Most of the answers aren't even in the blanks, and you have squiggles and lines all over the place."

"The score can't be worse that Keitaro's used to be." Motoko supplied hopefully. "You can always take solace in that." She turned to Naru expectantly.

Naru place the test down on the table. "You got a four."

The girls all stared in awe.

"Damn," muttered Kanako. "You really are an idiot." She released Ken, ignoring his glare. "To think that I lost to someone like you."

Shinobu took the test and scanned it. It was a mess, but she knew she had seen patterns like this before. "Well, it's ok. It's not like the real test is for quite a while anyway."

Ken leaned back in his chair and crossed his arms. "It's not like I plan to take any exams anyway."

Motoko frowned. "That's just a cop out. If you're not good at something you should work at it, not run from it."

"Like the way you…" Ken stopped quickly. He rose and walked out of the room. "Never mind. Excuse me."

Motoko watched as he walked away. "What was that?"

Shinobu followed after Ken. "Slow down!" She grabbed his arm lightly. "Your not going to go to that place in Tokyo again, are you?"

Ken shook his head. "Nah, you made me promise not to go back there. Remember?"

Shinobu nodded. "I guess I did." She paused. "You know, if you're worried about your grades, I'm sure that Sempai would help tutor you."

"I'm sure he would, but I don't need his tutoring." Ken turned and flopped down on the couch. "I just don't like using standardized test forms."

"_Nani_?"

Ken waved the issue away. "Where is the K-man anyway? He was gone when I woke up this morning."

Shinobu shrugged.

"Oh well. Guess it really doesn't matter." Ken sat up. "So you want to go do something?"

Shinobu nodded. "Do you mind going to the mall? I could finish my gift buying, and then maybe we could go see a movie or something."

Ken nodded. "Sounds like fun."

"Ok," Shinobu turned away. "I just want to change first, ok?" 

Ken nodded again.

Shinobu went up to her room and began looking through her closet. She pulled out one of her new outfits, a dark brown skirt with a white shirt. She debated about wearing the matching brown vest, but hung it up again realizing now one would see it anyway with her coat on. She thought back to the other day as she changed.

Ken had no memory of his room being destroyed, or of his sacred ramblings. He had even thought the others were simply playing a joke on him. According to Ken, he had woken up and seen Shinobu and Hotaru slumped against each other fast asleep, and returned them to their beds. When asked about why his room was trashed, he told them he figured that Su had been experimenting again since such destruction was common in her wake and he had awoken with a painful headache. If not for what Shinobu had seen, she might have bought his reasoning.

She made her way back to the lining room and found that Ken was gone. Figuring he had gone to get his bike, she headed toward the back shed. She found him attaching the side cart with a couple of tools. "Is someone else coming as well?"

Ken shook his head. "I just thought it would be a good idea in case we needed the extra space to bring stuff back."

 Shinobu laughed lightly "I hope we won't need that much space. I don't even think I could find that much stuff I'd want to buy."

Ken smiled and stood up. "Well, its there if we need it." He tossed the tools onto the shelf and mounted up. Shinobu climbed behind and they rode off towards the mall.

It didn't take them long to reach their destination. True to Ken's prediction, many people were already there, trying to finish their holiday shopping, and some of the less fortunate were going crazy. Ken parked and the two headed inside.

"So where to now?" Ken asked as he looked over the directory.

Shinobu also looked over the list of stores. "Well, "Foods of the World" is definitely the place to get Su's gift from. And Motoko pointed something out that she liked in that kendo equipment store last time we were here."

Ken tapped the sign. "You ever been here?"

Shinobu glanced at the store he pointed out. "Hot Topic? No, I've never even heard of it. What is it?"

"It's a pretty cool store I found in America last time I was there. You should be able to find something for Kanako there with no trouble."

Shinobu sweat dropped. "Knowing how Kanako is, I'm not sure I'd be able to go into a store time like that."

Ken laughed. "Fair enough, but keep it in mind just in case." He glanced at the list again. "So, what about you?"

"_Nani_?" Shinobu looked at him confused.

"In what store could a guy find a gift for you?" Ken looked over at her with a playful smile.

Shinobu blushed as she realized what Ken meant. "I don't know. It's really the thought that counts, not the gift itself."

Ken smiled. "All right then."

"What about you?" Shinobu asked. "Where should I look for a gift for you?"

"Like you said, it's the thought that counts." Ken reached out and gently took her hand. "But I really don't need any gifts."

Shinobu blushed and gave his had a gentle squeeze. She started to walk towards their first store. "Come on you."

***

"Thank you for agreeing to pick me up from the station Urashima-san."

Keitaro nodded towards the girl who sat in passenger seat of his old van. "It's no problem at all. You're going to be the newest member of the Hinata-sou, so I wanted you to feel comfortable right away. And please call me Keitaro. Urashima-san makes me sound old." 

The girl laughed as she brushed a stray black hair from her deep blue eyes. "Very well."

They arrived at the apartments a few minutes later as traffic was very light. Keitaro reached into the back seat to grab the few pieces of luggage that the girl had brought with her.

"No!" The girl cried as she grabbed one bag in particular away from his grasp. "I mean… I'll take this one."

Keitaro blinked in surprise. "Alright." He took the two remaining bags and they began to head up the steps and into the apartments.

"I'm going to kill you Su!" Kanako screamed bloody murder as she chased the other down the hall. "How dare you try your new inventions on me! Look at me! I'm a freak now!"

Su laughed hysterically as she raced away. "It wasn't my giving you pink hair that made you a freak!"

Keitaro groaned. "Somehow, I know this is going to end badly for me…" His eyes grew wide as he saw Su and Kanako, indeed with fuchsia pink hair, round the corner and head straight for him. He dove out of the way to avoid being trampled, but in doing so, he accidentally tackled the new girl.

"Just what do you think you're doing?" Naru demanded as she arrived on the scene.

Keitaro looked down to see that his hands were inadvertently resting on the girl's chest. He screamed and pulled his hands away from the blushing girl. "I'm sorry!" He turned to Naru. "Now wait a minute! I can explain!"

"You always have excuses Keitaro!" Motoko rushed into the room with her sword drawn. "Rock Splitting…"

Naru cracked her knuckles and prepared one of her trademark iron fist punches.

Keitaro cringed and braced himself for the coming pain. In that blink of an eye, he heard the sound of a zipper being pulled and felt something move in front of him. A moment later he heard the sound of metal crashing and opened his eyes. The new girl stood before him with a katana in each hand.

"She stopped my attack?" Motoko's whisper matched the disbelief reflected in her eyes.

"And mine too." Naru murmured.

The girl glanced back and forth between the two older tenants. "Step back or face the wrath of my blades. No one will harm this man who has shown me such respect." She nodded as her opponents backed down. She pulled her bag around from where it rested at her back. And placed her sword back to where she had pulled them from, first the white sheathed one, then the black one. "I can already tell things are going to be exciting around here."

***

Ken set down the boxes he was carrying and sat down at the small table. "I didn't realize that getting gifts would be such heavy work."

Shinobu bowed her head. "Sorry, I didn't mean to make you carry so much stuff."

Ken smiled. "No biggie." He glanced over towards the food vendors. "I'm starved, you want anything?"

Shinobu nodded.

Ken returned a few minutes later with a tray of items from various carts. "Guess I've been hanging around Su a bit to much lately." He laughed nervously. He set down the tray on the table and he and Shinobu both began to dine.

"Did you mean what you said earlier?" Shinobu asked between bites.

Ken paused. "Probably, what did I say?"

Shinobu laid down her chopsticks on the table. "About not taking any exams. You don't plan to finish school at all?"

Ken sighed and rested his fork. "I really don't need to. I already have a job, and I've already put enough away for Hotaru's education and living expenses."

"But don't you want to finish school?" Shinobu pushed on.

Ken leaned back in his seat. "I've thought about it, but I'd never finish."

"Why not?"

"Too much of a drifter, I don't stay in any one spot for very long. Plus I can't afford to risk leaving a paper trail."

"I don't understand." Shinobu shook her head. "It sounds as though you are running away."

Ken sipped at his drink. "Yeah, I guess I am."

"But, if you're living at the dorm, haven't you already left a…what'd you call it, a paper trail?" She insisted.

"I'm not living at the dorm." Ken stated flatly.

"But…"

"Hotaru is living at the dorm." Ken continued. "But, I never filled out a rent agreement for myself, only for her."

Shinobu shook her head. "But, why?"

Ken paused. "Remember when I said my family was different? Well, things were done, more was said, and like they say 'you can never go home again'."

"You're running from you're family?" Shinobu yelled at him.

Ken reached over and pressed a finger to her lips. "Indoor voice, Shinobu." He sighed. "No, I'm not running from my family, I'm running from my father. He's using them as a way to find me, but I've learned how to keep myself out of sight."

"Who's 'them'?" Shinobu asked.

Ken looked away. "We should start heading back." He stood up, collected his boxes, and began to walk away.

"Hold it!" Shinobu ran after him and blocked his path. "If you're in danger you should tell us! We can help you!"

Ken smiled and wished he had a hand free. "I truly wish that it was that simple Shinobu-_chan_, but it's not. I have to do this on my own." They walked out to the parking lot, passing a mother and two young children crying over the remains of a broken toy.

"I hate you _onii-chan_!" Yelled one of the boys.

"Well, I hate you too!" Retorted the second. "I wish you would die!"

"Now stop that you two!" The mother yelled. "I will not tolerate such talk!"

Against his better judgment Ken began to walk towards the family.

Shinobu watched in confusion.

Ken knelt down and reached into one of his bags, when his hands reemerged, he held two toys that made the boys eyes sparkle. "Listen to your _okasama_, ya? Don't make wishes like that. You'll be real sad if they ever come true." He smiled as the boys nodded and thanked him for the toys. He returned to Shinobu's side after refusing the mother's attempt to pay him for the toys.

Shinobu could see beneath that smile however. "That was very sweet of you to give those toys away like that."

Ken didn't reply. They reached his motorcycle and loaded their parcels into the side cart. Suddenly, the sound of tires squealing and cars crashing was heard in the direction they had just come from. Shinobu and Ken both gasped as they saw a van careening through the parking lot, towards the family of three.

One of the boys had dropped the toy in the street and ran back to pick it up. He now stood frozen in terror as the large van barreled toward him.

"Stay here!" Ken yelled as he jumped on to his bike. He roughly kicked the side cart, the connecting rod snapped as though it were plastic rather than metal, before speeding off. 

"Ken!" Yelled Shinobu.

"Come on baby." Ken whispered as he raced towards the child in the street. He gunned the engine again, needing every once of speed he could get. "I'm not going to make it."

The van was now only a few scant meters from the boy.

Ken revved the engine hard and whizzed in front of the van, grabbing the boy in one arm in the nick of time. Once clear of the van's path, he slammed on the brakes to prevent his own crash, barely managing to stay upright and keep the squirming child from being hurt. The mother immediately ran over and took her son from Ken.

"Ken!" Shinobu was running to catch up to him. The look in his eyes terrified her. Ken's entire body was seething with fury. "Ken?"

"He could have killed that kid! I'm going to kill that bastard! He didn't even try to stop!" Ken's tires squealed as he gunned his engine and took off after the van.

"Ken! Wait!" Shinobu tried to stop him, but was too late all she could do was watch as Ken speed off. She turned to see mall security car pull up along side her. She immediately asked them for help.

"Sure thing Shinomu!" 

The window rolled down revealing Su and Hotaru, and Shinobu paled. "You guys stole a mall car?!"

"Of course not silly!" Su reached over and pressed something on the dash. The car began to shimmer and was replaced by a very large turtle shaped construct. "Behold, Mecha-Tamago Mark 10!"

Shinobu climbed into the spare seat. "Fine! Just go!"

Su grinned at Hotaru. "You heard the lady!"

Hotaru grinned back. "Turbo thrusters engage!" The turtle sprouted a pair of jets from the tail region and fired up instantly. "_Yosh_!"

Shinobu screamed as the force of departure pressed her back into her seat and nearly caused her to pass out. A moment later she adjusted and slumped in her chair, her eyes spinning in opposite directions. "I think…I'm going…to be…sick…"

A/N Good? Bad? Other? Drop me a line and let me know. (No, seriously, leave a review. Stop laughing, I know this chap was screwy, but I've got a lot of other stuff to deal with and it will make sense later.) Also, name meaning _Saburo_ – third son. 'Till the next, live well all.


	11. A Past Revealed

A/N: First up, sorry for the delay in updates. Finals have away of screwing a guy's everything. As a result of not writing in while, this chap is the longest I've written yet. Which may be good or bad depending on your point of view, but once my fingers hit the keyboard they wouldn't stop. ^-^ Anyway, some finals are now off my back, but I still have others. So the next update may be delayed again. _Gomen_.

Second, thanks to Showstopper for the vote of confidence. I was beginning to think I wouldn't ever get any new readers and reviewers.

Alright, that's it. Enjoy everyone!

Love Hina: Healing Hearts

Disclaimer: Ken Akamatsu own Love Hina, not I. I can only claim the original characters I've created for the story itself. Like you all didn't know that already…

Chapter Eleven: A Past Revealed

He could not hear the wind as it whipped past his ears. He could not hear the shouts of people as he weaved through traffic. The only thing he could hear was the cries of a child in his mind. First came the cries of terror, then the cries of pain, next the cries of protest, and finally the cries of the mourning.

Ken revved his engine harder. He would not allow them to get away again. He gained ground on the van that raced ahead of him. For such a large van, it had an impressive top speed. He needed a way to slow it down without risking injury to those near by. He looked down as his jeans snagged on the jagged edge of the broken coupling rod that had been attached to the side cart. He kicked it once again snapping the remains of the steel bar from the bike completely, caught it on his foot, and flipped it to his right hand.

During this time, he had been steadily climbing closer to the van. He now pushed his bike into the red. Fast as the van may have been, Ken was faster. He pulled up beside the van, but rather than stopping he continued on past his target. He raced ahead until he and pulled an about one-eighty and raced towards the van. When he was fifty meters away Ken hurled the steel rod as though it were a dagger and watched as it pierced the hood of the car and buried itself deep into the engine.

Those who watched began to flee, fearing an explosion. Ken however, pressed forward knowing that no explosion would come. He had thrown just hard enough to disable the engine with out compromising the fuel lines. Dieing in a ball of flames would be too quick and painless a death for this driver. 

Ken screeched to a halt and raced over to the driver side door. He roughly pulled open the door, nearly ripping it from its hinges, and yanked the driver out and slammed him against the car.

"Hey man! What's the problem?"

Ken hit him hard in the mouth. "_Urusei_!" He bought his knee up into the man's stomach, doubling him over. "You don't get to ask that after what you did!"

"But…I didn't do…any…" The man tried to gasp out.

Ken grabbed the man by the hair and slammed his head into the car window, shattering it. "I said shut up!" Ken landed another blow to the man's stomach. "It's your fault! You killed him!" Ken laid into the man again and again, his fists becoming bruised and bloody.

"Leave my daddy alone!" A young girl leapt from the car and booted Ken in the head. "Let him go!" She landed on the ground again and rolled away.

Ken stopped his attack, turning his attention on the girl. Behind her another girl appeared. Ken stared as the second girl stared back in abject terror. "Shino…" Suddenly the world snapped back into focus. It wasn't Shinobu he saw, but if not for the longer hair and tan skin she could have passed as her twin. Ken then continued to look around the scene he was in. "What the…where…" He looked down and saw the man hanging by his shirt from Ken's hands. He stiffened as he heard the sound of a gun cocking.

"Set him down on the ground gently and step away, now." Ordered a woman as she rounded the car and pointed the handgun at his head.

Ken didn't move. He simply stared.

The girl let out a frustrated yell. "Let my daddy go you dork!" The girl leapt at Ken again for a second kick to the head.

Ken let released one of his hands on the man's shirt and grabbed the girl by her ankle, hanging her upside down.

"Put her down!" The woman yelled. "Or, I'll put you down!"

There was a tense standoff for a minute as Ken looked over the two girls, then over to the woman. "Relax Haruka, I won't hurt Sarah, or the other girl. And I'll get Seta to a hospital right away. Besides, you know that gun isn't going to do you any good anyway."

***

"Whoa! Who's the hottie coming this way on the motorcycle?" Asked the newest Hinata resident.

Motoko looked up from the textbook she was reading. "Hottie?"

Naru shook her head. "If he's on a motorcycle it's probably Ken. He lives here too."

The new girl blinked her eyes in confusion. "A guy living in a girls dorm?" The girl's eyes lit up as a mischievous smile spread across her face. "How kinky. I'm going to go introduce myself."

Naru shook her head again and went back to helping Motoko study. She jumped as a loud crash was heard from the front of the building.

Motoko sighed. "It would appear that Su and Hotaru have returned as well." She closed her textbook. "So much for piece and quiet." She and Naru went down to the front door.

The door slid open quickly, and the new girl made her move as the group of people came into the room. She quickly singled out Ken. "Hi, my name's Moriko. What's yours?"

Ken brushed past her and dropped the load of boxes he was carrying. "Ken. Nice to meet you." He did not stop as he replied, but continued on to his room.

Moriko blinked. "Well, that was cold." She mused silently. She screamed a moment later as three girls appeared before her without warning.

"Heyas! You weren't here before! Have you come to play with Su?" The tan girl asked excitedly.

Hotaru looked up and examined the girl. "You're not his type. Besides, _onii-chan_'s taken already."

"Who's this dork?" Demanded Sarah. "She better not have taken my room."

"Guys! That's no way to speak to a guest!" Shinobu protested.

A moment later Shinobu's beach tanned twin, Nyamo, came inside. Making a quick remark that most of the others couldn't understand.

"I agree." Replied Seta. "Where is my favorite part-timer?"

Haruka took a deep drag of her cigarette. "Knowing my nephew, he's getting himself into trouble right about now."

"Geez," Naru laughed. "It's like a who's who of Hinata-sou!"

Motoko bowed. "It is good to see you all again."

Shinobu turned to Nyamo and Sarah. "I want to hear all about your adventures, but first I want to check on Ken. He seemed really upset over something."

Sarah huffed indignantly. "Why should we care about that dork? He almost killed my daddy! Let him be upset!"

"Actually, the doctors said I would be just fine Sarah." Seta supplied. "Just a small concussion."

Nyamo turned and whispered something to Shinobu.

Shinobu blushed. "Yeah, that's part of it too."

Nyamo smiled and pushed her friend toward the steps.

Sarah looked on in confusion. "What was that about?"

Su mooshed her friend's hair playfully. "Ain't it obvious shrimp? Shinomu and Kens is all lovey dovey!"

A dumbstruck expression plastered the American's face. "Shinobu finally moved on from Keitaro?" She sighed. "I admit he has more backbone than the other dork, but he's still not much of an improvement."

Su laughed. "You're just mad cause you couldn't catch his attention the entire time he was in Molmol with us!"

"_Urusei_!" Sarah began chasing her friend around the apartments. "I didn't want that dork following us! He only got to come 'cause daddy needed his help with permits!"

Moriko looked on in confusion a moment. "Is it always like this here?"

"Pretty much." Shinobu laughed and headed towards the steps.

"Cool."

Shinobu heard Keitaro, Kanako, and Kitsune's voices entering into the loud conversation as she climbed the steps but didn't stop or turn around. She knocked on Ken's door, but received no reply. She slowly slid open the door. "Ken? Oh, not again." The window was open to Ken's empty room.

***

Shinobu found Ken a few minutes later back by the waterfall. He had changed his clothes and was now wearing a training uniform much like Motoko's, except it was solid gray all around. Shinobu watched in amazement as Ken walked beneath the waterfall and began chanting. 

"It's the middle of winter, and that water has to be freezing!" Shinobu thought. "He's going to kill himself!" Still, his chanting hadn't changed in pitch, so she guessed that he really wasn't fazed by the water or the wind that were making her chilly despite her coat. "Chanting?" Shinobu then remembered she had seen Keitaro do something like this once for meditation.

By the time that she, Su, and Hotaru had arrived at the wreckage of Seta's van, what ever had transpired had already been sealed away. No one would talk about it except for Sarah. Ken had been in a frenzy, blaming Seta for killing someone. But that didn't make sense to Shinobu because no one had died. Something else was at work here, and Shinobu was quite worried about Ken. The fact that he acted so curt to Moriko, and was now meditating worried her even more since she had never seen him do either. "What's bothering you Ken?" She whispered. "Why can't I figure it out to help you?" She hid behind the nearest tree as Ken stepped from the waterfall.

"I know you're there!" Ken called out. "Show yourself!"

Shinobu didn't move, she remembered how he reacted last time. "Maybe if I stay still he'll think it was his imagination."

"Fine. Have it your way."

Shinobu peaked out from her hiding spot to see that Ken's back was to her. She also saw that he was holding a branch as though it were a sword.

Ken raised the branch over his head. As he brought it down a wave of ki shot forth and collided with one of the other trees, splitting it in two.

Shinobu gasped. "That was Motoko's Rock Splitting Sword!" As the dust cleared she could see the outline of another person. It was Moriko holding two swords, one white, and one black. Unsure of what to do, Shinobu simply watched.

"So, you're of the Shinmei Dojo." Moriko leaned back against the tree. "I thought you'd be of a different school with your aura." She focused on Ken intently. "Your aura is the most peculiar I've ever seen. It's even stronger than my brother's was."

"Wonderful." Ken lowered his branch. "Now leave. I don't like people spying on me."

"What's your problem anyway?" Moriko demanded.

Ken shrugged. "I have a lot of them, but right now it's you."

"Me!  Why?"

"I don't need to explain my reasons to you. If you leave, I'll have one less problem, so go."

Moriko stuck her tongue out at him. "I'll go where ever I want. And right now I want to be here."

Ken nodded. "Fine." He turned and began to walk away. "You stay here, I'll leave."

Moriko blinked, she hadn't expected that. "Oh, no you don't! You don't mouth off at me and walk away!" She drew her swords and fired off two waves of ki at Ken.

Ken didn't turn. He brought his branch up over his shoulder and swatted the attacks away.

"_Nani_!?" Moriko nearly dropped her swords. "No way a Shinmei weakling should be able to deflect my attacks!"

Ken turned. "You're the one you decided I was Shinmei." Ken shook his head. "I'm not, I have no affiliation with anyone anymore. I am alone." He raised and pointed his branch at Moriko. "You wanted to know why I have a problem with you. It's because your aura is dark, angry, and malicious. And after hearing you speak, I like you even less. So consider this your warning Moriko. Raise those blades to me, or any of my friends here, and you will live just long enough to regret it." With that he stormed off back to the dorm.

Moriko fell to her knees. "What the hell have I gotten myself into now?"

Shinobu looked on in confusion. She had had enough. She was tired of the lies and the secrets. She wanted answers, and one way or another Ken would give them to her. She quickly made her way to the apartments, leaving Moriko alone with the forest.

***

"Why the long face Shinobu?"

Shinobu turned to the source of the voice and saw Keitaro sitting down beside her.

"I haven't seen you up here by yourself in a while." Keitaro leaned down. "Is everything ok?"

Shinobu looked out over the city. "Sempai, do you keep secrets from Naru?"

Keitaro blinked. "Well, I wish I could say no, but…yeah, I have a few."

Shinobu felt her hopes become crushed. "I see…"

"Shinobu, sometimes secrets have to be kept." Keitaro went on. "I'm not proud of the fact that I can't tell Naru everything, but if I told her everything, things could get weird. You know?"

"I guess…" Shinobu paused. "No, no I don't." She turned and gave an accusatory glare at her beloved sempai. "You two are engaged! There should be no secrets between two people who love each other!"

Keitaro nodded. "You're right, there shouldn't be."

"Then why do you?"

Keitaro sighed. "Because telling her these secrets would scare her, maybe even hurt her, and I don't want that. I care about her too much to risk putting her through that."

Shinobu looked down at her hands. She felt like a total fool now. "Of course Sempai would keep a secret for that reason. He's been so open with everyone for so long, how could I believe that he would have no secrets at all."

"Shinobu?"

Shinobu didn't look up. "I'm sorry Sempai. I didn't mean to accuse you…"

Keitaro smiled. "Yes you did, but that's ok. It shows you care as far as I'm concerned."

Shinobu looked up and offered a weak smile. "_Arigato_ _Sempai_."

Keitaro nodded.

Shinobu paused and looked away. "If Naru asked you to tell her everything, would you?"

Keitaro nodded. "If she asked."

"Because you care about her." Shinobu stated more as a fact than a question.

"Yeah."

Shinobu leaned over and gave Keitaro a small kiss on the cheek. "Thank you Sempai."

Keitaro rubbed his cheek as Shinobu got up and walked toward the deck stairs. "For what?"

"For being you."

Keitaro watched as Shinobu disappeared from sight. "Damn you Ken." He whispered. "If you hurt her…"

***

Ken opened his door after hearing a knock. "Hey Shinobu. What's up?"

Shinobu held up a textbook. "I was wondering if you would help me study?"

Ken raised an eyebrow. "You do remember I got a four on my test this morning right?"

Shinobu nodded.

Ken shrugged and laughed. "Ok, as long as you realize that I absolve myself of any blame for your next test score." They studied for the next hour or so before deciding to take a break. 

"I still don't understand why you study over winter vacation though." Ken teased.

"Don't you know? 'There's no vacation for ronins'." Shinobu did her best impersonation of Motoko.

Ken laughed. "Not bad! Though that theory needs some work, especially since neither of us are ronins."

Shinobu smiled. "Ken, I was wondering if maybe we could talk?"

"That doesn't sound good…" He stood, and offered his hand to Shinobu. "Come on, the walls have ears in this place." He turned towards the door and opened it quickly. "Ain't that right Kitsune?"

The fox lady abruptly fell forward on to her face. "Now, hold on. I can explain!"

Ken smirked. "Forget it, I'll let it slid this time." He smiled menacingly. "But next time is going to cost you." With that he and Shinobu left the room.

Kitsune sighed. "And it was just getting interesting too."

Ken and Shinobu made there way to the "garage", mounted up, and took off.

"Where are we going?" Asked Shinobu asked after they had rode towards Tokyo.

Ken shrugged. "Not sure yet. I kind of lost it before, and cut our outing short. I figure I owe you something to make up for it. Perhaps, dinner out?"

Shinobu considered the idea. "That would give us the time to talk." She thought silently. "I'd like that." She replied with a smile.

Ken nodded. "Alright." A short time later they reached the city. "Uh oh…"

"Uh oh?" Shinobu asked nervously as the motorcycle began to slowdown.

Ken sighed as the bike came to a stop. "_Kuso_." He climbed off and looked under the cover of his bike, and cursed again. "Sorry kiddo." He apologized to the bike. "I pushed you too hard after letting you rest for too long."

Shinobu looked down at the gears unable to tell heads or tails from it. "What's wrong?"

"I must have burnt something out during my chase with Seta this morning." He smiled apologetically. "_Gomen_, but it looks like we're going to have to walk. At least until we find a phone." Just then something hit him in the eye. "_Nani_?" He looked up to see the dark thunderclouds hanging overhead. "Oh you've got to be kidding…"

Shinobu turned to him and took his hand. "Come on!" She laughed as she ran through the rain towing Ken behind her. At last they arrived under a shelter from the pouring rain.

Ken looked over at Shinobu. Although she was laughing, she was also wet and shivering despite her coat. Although it wasn't any dryer, it did offer better insulation and a small degree of water resistance and Ken wrapped his coat around her. He shook his head in amusement. "Come on, looks like we're going to be stuck here a while."

***

"The Ambassador's Suite…" Shinobu marveled at the size of the room, or rather rooms. After accepting Ken's jacket they had run through city until they arrived at this hotel. Upon seeing the name above the door, Shinobu had insisted they continue on. Ken however, had simply smiled and led her inside. This hotel was renown for it's five star standing, and it's expensive price tag.

"Shinobu-chan? The bath is ready. You go ahead first." Ken offered as he exited the washroom.

Knowing that Ken would only force her in as he had last time if she refused, she accepted his offer. She washed quickly knowing that Ken was also soaked to the bone and in need of the bath to warm himself. For a moment, Shinobu contemplated the idea of inviting Ken into the bath with her. She felt the blood rush to her face as she blushed fourteen different shades of red in a matter of seconds. "Ok, maybe not." She toweled off and looked around to find something to put on. Expecting to find a simple hotel brand kimono, she was surprised to find a very expensive looking yukata awaiting her in her clothesbasket. She felt the material. "Silk? How much did Ken pay for this room anyway that they give you silk clothing." She exited the washroom and saw Ken hanging up the phone.

"I hope you don't mind, but with us being…" Ken paused as he turned to face Shinobu. "Whoa."

Shinobu couldn't help but giggle at his reaction. "Isn't it pretty? And it's almost identical to the one I tried on that time you took my shopping!"

"Yeah, beautiful." Ken agreed. "Umm, like I was saying, since we're stuck here I asked that a menu be sent up." He smiled. "It's not exactly going out to dinner, but this hotel does offer one of the best restaurants in the city down in the lobby and they offer room service."

"That's great! But first…" Shinobu ran around behind Ken. "Go wash and warm yourself up!" She placed her hands against his back and pushed him towards the washroom. She gasped and pulled away as she felt Ken stiffen at her touch.

Ken was shaking. "Yeah, I'll go do that."

Shinobu sat down nervously as he walked away. The thin material of the wet shirt couldn't hide them. She heard the door close to the washroom and quickly rushed over to it. "Ken? I'm sorry! Please don't be mad! I didn't know!" She received no reply.

It was only when she heard a knock at the door for the attendant with the menu that drew her away after a few minutes. Shinobu went back to the main room and sat down. "No wonder he's so secretive." She murmured. "Those couldn't have been anything else…it makes sense now." At last the door opened revealing Ken in a plain cotton kimono. "Ken…"

Ken shook his head. "Don't apologize Shinobu-chan, it was bound to come out sooner or later." He walked over and sat down beside her. "Well, you said you wanted to talk. I'm guessing it's about the way I acted earlier, _ne_?"

"Well, I…" Shinobu glanced at him uncertain of what to say.

Ken sighed. "I suppose I have a lot to explain." He gave Shinobu a small smile. "It's ok Shinobu, you can ask."

Shinobu nodded. "Were those scars?"

Ken nodded.

"Do they hurt?"

Ken shook his head. "No, not anymore."

Shinobu knew that she shouldn't ask anymore, but she couldn't help it. "May I see them?"

Ken swallowed hard, but nodded, and turned his around in his seat. "Are you sure? They're kind of a lot to take in at once."

Shinobu nodded.

Ken nodded and turned away. He untied his sash that held his kimono in place and allowed the material to fall down off his back.

Shinobu gasped at what she saw. The skin on Ken's back looked as though it was patched together by a blind seamstress. His shoulders and arms were in the same condition. The lines intersected at every angle covering his entire back. Some of the scars were simply cuts or welts, but others were black, clear signs that they were badly infected prior to healing. She reached out and tentatively traced her finger over the scars. Once again Ken stiffened, but did not pull away this time. "How…" 

Ken turned to face her while retying his sash and kimono, but not before Shinobu saw that the scars were also present on his chest. Judging by the way Ken always dressed, she guessed that the scars covered everywhere on his body except his hands and face.

"How did I get all of these?" Ken finished the question that Shinobu couldn't seem to. Ken sighed again. "I guess it's time I explained myself. Some I got going to those fight places I told you about before. Others I got during my training growing up." Ken sighed heavily. "But most are because I wasn't strong enough to stand against my father when he decided I wasn't behaving properly or I took the punishment for others to prevent them from being hurt."

"Others?" The memory of Ken's breakdown at the dorm the other night passed through Shinobu's mind. "Please no more, I've bleed so much for you already…"

"What?"

Shinobu turned to Ken. "That's what you said when Hotaru called out to you the night you started acting weird." Suddenly it clicked. "You have other siblings besides Hotaru, don't you?"

Ken shook his head. "Not anymore."

"I don't understand." Shinobu looked deep into Ken's eyes, seeking answers.

Ken returned her gaze. "If I tell you, not a word of this reaches Hotaru."

Shinobu nodded.

Ken nodded. "I've kept things hidden a long time. Told a lot of lies and half-truths. Now isn't the time to reveal all of the secrets, so please understand that." He paused. "The first lie is my name. I abandoned my name because I couldn't bear the meaning behind it anymore."

"When you first came to the Hinata-sou, Su called you Kenji. Is that you're real name?" Shinobu asked.

"It's the name I was born with, but my real name…no, I won't let that be what defines me." Ken looked down at the floor. "Anyway, I trained everyday for years to please my old man. We all did…"

"We?" Shinobu asked.

Ken nodded. "My brother's and sisters…

Shinobu was now confused. "You just said you didn't have any other siblings."

"I don't now, but I did then. I'm dead to them…they think I died. Same with Hotaru." Ken turned away and walked to the window before he continued. "I'm getting ahead of myself. Like I said, we trained everyday. _Onii-chan_ would push me to my absolute limits, and I to his. When the two of us were together we were damn near unstoppable."

Shinobu watched as a small smile crossed his lips for a moment, before disappearing just as quickly. "Don't make wishes like that. You'll be real sad if they ever come true." Ken's words resonated in Shinobu's mind.

"Then came the day for our 'graduation exercises' from training." Ken began to tremble violently. "The task we were… were given was to…" He stopped.

Shinobu listened quietly. Although she knew he was upset, she also knew that he was finding away to tell a 'half-truth' as he put it.

At last Ken began again. "My brother and I were part of a gang, and our task was to confront one of rival gangs and kill them all."

Shinobu gasped.

Ken nodded. "Yeah. Anyway, we got there and our targets were a lot stronger than we had been lead to believe, and they brought back up. Still, we fought on, and we may very well had won…" Ken stopped speaking. He was shaking again. "I never saw them coming at me with a double team attack…but _onii-chan_ did. He pushed me out of the way and was able to block the attacks, but…"

Shinobu went up to Ken and embraced him protectively from behind as she saw the tears begin to fall. "It's ok Ken-kun."

Ken gripped her small hands gently. "He was thrown to the street… right into traffic…he never had a chance as the van rounded the corner…" He let go of Shinobu's hands and roughly wiped at his eyes, almost as though he was ashamed to be crying at all. "By the time I got to him…" He shook his head. "The paramedics took his body and closed the ambulance doors. That was the last time I ever saw 'Ichi."

"I'm so sorry Ken…"

"It wasn't you fault Shinobu." Ken cut her off. "I was the one to blame."

"No…" Shinobu began.

"That's what I believed for a long time." Ken finished as he dried the last tear from his face. He turned around and returned Shinobu's hug. "Thank you."

"I didn't do anything." Shinobu insisted.

Ken smiled. "You did." He went back over to the couch and sat down and waited until Shinobu sat as well. "I found out later that my old man was responsible for setting up the fight that my brother and I went into. I blamed them for my brother's death. I wanted to know who these people were and avenge him. That's when I learned just how twisted my old man was. My family had history with the targets in the medieval sense. He used us to try and exact vengeance on them." Ken paused as he felt his anger beginning to surface again. "When he tried to get me to take 'Ichi's name as my own, I finally realized what he was doing."

Shinobu shook her head in confusion. "I don't…"

"He was trying to create his own personal little army. We were replaceable to him." Ken's words hung in the air. "After that point I trained for the sole purpose of becoming strong enough to defeat my father. But I defied him a lot, that's how I got all these scars. His solution for disobedience was to beat it out of me."

"That's terrible." Shinobu whispered.

"Yeah, but I could take it. My sisters couldn't have." Ken looked away. "So whenever they would get in trouble, I would take their place."

"Your father did that!"

Ken shook his head. "No, I did. After 'Ichi died, I vowed that I wouldn't let him hurt anyone I cared about again." He looked back at Shinobu. "Then came "The Incident". My father arranged for my two of my sisters to prepare for 'graduation exercises'. Knowing what was coming, I wanted to tell them what happened to me, but he found out my plans. Before I could say anything, he summoned me to his study and the final straw was placed on the proverbial camels back. That's when I confronted him for the final time." He gripped at the scars on his wrist. "That's how I got these, and the three deep scars on my back."

Shinobu blinked in surprise as Ken spewed off a series of what could only be curses in a language she didn't understand.

"I wasn't strong enough to take him out. I remember him over powering me, and then it all gets hazy. Next thing I know, I'm in a hospital bed with Hotaru in the next bed over." Ken sighed. "I thought we were free, but I was wrong. We just got lost in the confusion of what ever had happened. Now he uses them to hunt us."

"That's the second time you've mentioned 'them'. Who are they?" Shinobu asked.

"My other sisters, and my younger brother."

Shinobu was couldn't believe what she was hearing. "But, why don't you tell them the truth?"

Ken shook his head. "It's been to long. We've all changed to much to have the problem fix itself fast enough to make a difference."

"But you should still try." Shinobu insisted.

"I have Shinobu-chan. Believe me, I have." Ken leaned back in his seat. "It's all to little, to late."

"What? Why?" Shinobu leaned back as well.

Ken shook his head. "The less you know, the safer you'll be."

"I've told you before Ken, I don't like secrets." Shinobu looked at him intently.

Ken sighed. "And I don't like putting the people I care about in danger."

Shinobu blushed.

Ken blushed too as he realized what he said. "Look, all I can tell you is that all the players are gathering. Is that enough?"

Shinobu leaned in against him to rest her head in his shoulder. "No, but it'll do for now."

Ken wrapped his arm around Shinobu. "Sorry." He glanced over at the menu that sat on the table. "So, you still want room service."

Shinobu sighed. "Maybe later."

***

Outside the hotel room door a figure slowly moved away. "To think your weakness is so openly visible." He figure laughed menacingly. "I'll have my revenge yet for what you did to me."

Good? Bad? Other? You all know the drill. Leave me a review and let me know what you think.

Name meanings:

Kenji- strong second son

Ichi- one or first

Moriko – ??? Wouldn't you like to know, ^-^ This will give some insight to the story, so look it up if you want to know, since I don't want to reveal to much just yet. ^_^

Think of it as a contest, anyone who figures it out and lets me know will get an honorable mention in the next chap. 'Till the next, live well all.


	12. The Gathering Comes Soon

A/N: Sorry about slow updates! Almost done with school, so faster updates should happen soon. Anyway, answers to reviews:

walkswithwraiths: Yes, Shinobu and Ken will get closer, but if you're expecting lemon, look elsewhere

keitaro's clone: No, no split personality, just emotional baggage. Ken's use of Motoko's signature move will explain in time. And congrats on getting close to name meaning for Moriko, which means forest child. And sorry that the chap didn't agree with you last time maybe this one will be more to your liking.

That's all, later. Enjoy.

Love Hina: Healing Hearts

Disclaimer: Ken Akamatsu own Love Hina, not I. I can only claim the original characters I've created for the story itself. Like you all didn't know that already…

Chapter Twelve: The Gathering Comes Soon

Shinobu woke to the feeling of a warm, caring, embrace. It made her feel happy, wanted, loved. She also awoke to a painful cramp in her neck. She slowly picked her head up from her pillow.

"'Morning sleepy."

Shinobu turned toward the sound of the voice. "Good morning." That was when she realized that she was still on the couch where she had been last night, and that Ken's shoulder was her pillow of choice. Normally, such position would have led to her stammering apologies. Or, Ken would be running from one or more of the other girls at the dorm. But today, neither occurred. Shinobu smiled. "Have we been here all night?"

Ken nodded. "I tried to move you over to the futon, but you wouldn't let me."

"Sorry, I must have had you pinned in place all night." Shinobu sat up and stretched her neck. As she did so, she caught sight of the pad and pen on the table.

Ken stretched out his shoulder that Shinobu had been resting on and stood up. "Pins and needles, but nothing to apologize for." He smiled at her. "Well, dinner was a bust, so how about we try for breakfast?"

Shinobu nodded as her stomach growled. "Sure. The weather looks like it's cleared up as well. Should we go out?"

"If you'd like." Ken headed off towards the washroom. "I'm just going to clean up a bit."

Shinobu nodded and walked over to the window. "Ok." The city was beautiful from up here. She didn't have her normal supplies with her but the pen and pad on the table would do well enough. She pulled a chair over to the window and sat with the pen and paper. She opened the pad to look for a clean sheet to sketch on. What she found was a page covered in scribbles. "These look like the marks on Ken's test, but this isn't a test sheet."

Ken leaned over the chair Shinobu was sitting in. "What are you up to now? Oh, sorry." He reached over to try and pull the sheet away. "Hey!"

Shinobu leaned forward and ducked out of his reach. "What is this?"

Ken kneeled down behind the chair and rested his head on the backrest. "Just something I was working on while you were asleep."

"That doesn't answer my question." Shinobu waved the sheet of paper playfully before Ken. "So?"

Ken smirked. "All right, fine. It's music. It just kind of came to me while watching you sleeping."

Shinobu blushed. "Oh. Is it about me?"

Ken nodded.

"Can I hear it?"

"Nope." Ken shook his head. "It's not done yet." He blinked as his stomach growled. "Hey? Can you get ready now? I'm starving."

Hotaru swatted the katana away with her kodachi. "Your really good. Who'd you train with?"

Moriko doubled back and attacked with her second sword. "My father." She rolled left to narrowly avoid Hotaru's counterstrike. "You're not bad yourself kid."

Hotaru laughed. "Onii-chan's a really good teacher!"

Moriko crossed her katanas and blocked another attack. She was amazed that such a small girls could be so strong, and grunted as she tried to hold the blades in position. "Your brother taught you huh? I couldn't see the resemblance at first, but I can certainly see it now. You're going to be even stronger than he is."

Hotaru raised her blades and ducked beneath the older girl's swords. She rolled across the ground and kicked at Moriko's midsection. She grinned and flipped to her feet as she watched Moriko back flip away from her attack.

Moriko returned the grin. "So you know hand and foot moves in addition to swords." She readied herself again. "This is so cool." She charged and attacked again, faster this time.

Hotaru sidestepped the flurry of blades and felt herself begin to fall. She looked down in time to see Moriko's foot catch her at the ankle. She quickly put her hands out to break her fall. She rolled quickly to the side as Moriko buried her blades into the soil where she had just been. "Hey! Take it easy! This is only a spar!" She flipped herself to her feet again and blocked another of Moriko's attacks.

"Training makes you stronger only if you push yourself to your limits." Moriko gasped as Hotaru slashed her shirt at the shoulders. "Hey! I liked this shirt!"

Hotaru grinned. "Pushing yourself to the limits to get stronger is a great idea, but if you get hurt in the process you won't improve." She took her ready stance once again. "So, ready to go?"

Moriko smiled mischievously. "I was born ready girl. Get ready, cause now I'm playing for real!"

Hotaru brought up her blades to stop Moriko's charge. "Good. 'Cause I'm done warming up now." They exchanged blows again, sparks flying each time that the blades touched sparks flew. "It's weird, you know? It's like I can predict your moves."

Moriko spun and blocked one of Hotaru's kicks with her shin. "Yeah, I know. Our s are really similar." She whipped her black sword around and sliced her opponents shirt at the belly. "But, I have more experience." She brought her blades high as they began to glow with ki. One sword emitted energy that was as black as a moonless night and sucked in the heat that surrounded it. The second sword burned with the intensity of a thousand suns. "And better training."

Hotaru looked at the hole in her shirt. "Alright , I suppose I deserved that." She raised her swords into a defensive position. "But, just cause you're older doesn't mean you have more experience." Her shorter swords began to glow brightly with ki as well. Both rotated through a prism of red, orange, and yellow . "Or that you have better training."

"Damn," Moriko took a step back. "Is there anything else you can do?"

Hotaru smiled. "Of course, but only a fool gives away everything to her enemy."

Moriko brought her blades down and launched her two waves of ki at the smaller girl. "So I'm your enemy now?"

"At least for the time of this spar!" Hotaru yelled as she released her own ki attacks. The four ki waves collided and swirled about between the two combatants. "Uh oh…" 

The explosion was enormous sending dirt and debris from their woodland battle ground everywhere. Moriko used this chance to claim victory over her opponent. She charged through the debris cloud toward where she knew Hotaru to be. She quickly re-sheathed her two swords, and reached to the hidden pocket in the back of her shirt.

"Banzai!"

Moriko looked up into the trees to see Hotaru hurtling at her with her swords in a backwards grip. "How'd you get up there?!" Moriko gasped in pain as Hotaru slammed both her sword hilts into the older girl in the shoulders. Moriko grabbed at her hidden pocket yet again as she fell to the ground. Her eyes widened in surprise as she gripped the empty fabric.

"Looking for this?" Hotaru sat down in front of the older girl and held out a long dagger. "It's pretty sneaky to hide a weapon during a duel." She buried the blade into the soil, giving Moriko a disappointed glare at the same time.

"Weren't you the one who said that only a fool gives everything away to her enemy?" Moriko shot back.

"I meant about skills, not cheating with a concealed weapon." Hotaru replied.

For the next few minutes the two girls glared at each other in silence but for the sounds of the forest and their own heavy breathing. At last Moriko smiled.

"You're pretty cool kid." She reached over and patted Hotaru on the shoulder. "You have a lot of honor in you. Maybe it'll rub off on me, _ne_?"

Hotaru gripped her hand. "You have a lot of honor in you as well, but your anger and your pride push you to hard. To win at any cost is not really winning. Why would you use a trick like that?"

Moriko pulled back her hand. "When I was training with my father, failure was not an option." She looked at the younger girl and gave her a playful smile. "How old did you say you were again? You're too smart for you age."

Hotaru laughed at the comment. "No, I just listen to _onii-chan_ when I train. You should join us, I'm sure _onii-chan_ wouldn't mind having you with us." She gave her a reassuring look. "That way you wouldn't have to push so hard."

Moriko smiled. "Thanks, but I don't think your bro' would be as understanding as you think."

Hotaru stood and helped Moriko to her feet. "Eh, just leave that to me."

Moriko wrapped her arms around her new friend's shoulder. "You really are cool, a bit pushy, but cool. Wish my sisters were more like you."

"No you don't." Hotaru warned playfully. "I can get a lot more pushy than this." She looked down at the dagger still in the ground. "Where'd you get this anyway? I've never seen such a fancy handle."

Moriko picked up the blade and hugged it close to her chest. "My brother gave me this before he disappeared." She held out the dark wooden handle toward Hotaru as they walked back to Hinata-sou. "It was a gift for my training graduation. Look, he even made it more special by carving these roses and ivy into the hilt."

Motoko observed from the rooftop as Ken and Shinobu pulled up in front of the building. "They were out all night."

Naru nodded. "Yep."

"We should really make sure that he didn't try anything with her." Motoko headed for the stairs.

Naru grasped her friend's hand. "Look at Shinobu's face." The two women looked down on the younger girl. "See, Shinobu hasn't smiled like that in, ever, I think." Naru sighed. "Whatever the two of them are doing, I think it might be better if we let them be for the time being."

"But Naru! How can you be so callous about them?" Motoko demanded. "I mean, what if they're doing…" The raven-haired beauty stopped mid sentence as her face blushed hotly.

Naru smiled. "Please, we both know Shinobu's not like that. And I'm pretty sure that Ken wouldn't do anything to hurt Shinobu."

Motoko huffed. "I still think he's hiding something."

Naru nodded in agreement as a thought ran through her mind. "Yeah, but he's not the only one."

Motoko turned to face her friend. "What do you mean?"

Naru shook her head. "Nothing."

"Umm, alright. I'll bite." Ken looked around the room. Su, Sarah, and Kitsune were hanging upside down staring at him. It was then that he remembered was the one hanging from a rope tied around his ankles. "Why am I being tied up?"

Su popped up before the hanging boy. "You know why you're here!" She giggled and activated her remote control raising Ken higher.

Ken lifted a surprised eyebrow. "I do?"

"You spent the entire night alone with Shinobu." Kitsune sat back in her chair. "Since you some how managed to evade our surveillance cameras, we need to make sure you didn't do anything…deviant, with her while you two were alone."

Ken dropped a handful of computer parts. "I told you that you guys wouldn't get anymore shows." He turned to Su. "And why flying turtles? They're kind of easy to spot since turtles don't fly. I think your red moon incense is beginning to affect your reality a bit to much."

Su gathered the circuitry on the ground. "You destroyed my mecha-tama again!" She pulled out a repair kit and began to examine the crushed computer parts. "They're flying turtles because they are modeled after my greatest enemy! The elusive and destructive, though theoretically very tasty, Tama-chan!"

"Riiiiight, a flying turtle is your greatest enemy. You know what never mind the incense, just stop smoking what ever it is that you're smoking ok?" 

Su blinked. "But why? The leaves are so easy to grow in my jungle."

Ken sweat dropped. "Ok, I was just kidding before, but now I'm scared." Ken turned his gaze over to Kitsune. "And you. Don't you have a tea house to run?"

Kitsune waved his question away and poured herself a small amount of sake. "Details, details. Now that Haruka's back, she's taken over. So I have more free time again."

"Wonderful…" Ken sighed. "Hey Kit. As long as we're on the topic of deviant behavior, perhaps you'd like to explain the stash in your closet?"

Kitsune's fox-like eyes widened in surprise as she spit her sake from her mouth. "How do you know about that?"

Ken grinned. "I told you I'd let the fact that I found you spying on our study session slide, but when I found that turtle thing flying around all bets were off." Ken's grin spread farther. "The tape of Motoko using her sword as a microphone as she sang along to the CD you leant her. It was masterfully done! I wonder if she'd give a repeat performance if I told her you hid the camera in her ancestral armor in her room. Do you think she would?"

Kitsune's eyes went even wider. "You wouldn't."

Ken laughed. "Does Haruka know that you had a camera tail her on her honeymoon?

Kitsune paled.

Sarah grabbed Kitsune and put her in a headlock. "You tailed my daddy?!"

Su began to drool. "Honeymoon? That sounds yummy! Is that wildflower honey? Or maybe clover honey? Ohhhh! Maybe it's like honeydew melon?

Ken stared at Su. "Do you ever think about anything other than food?"

Su nodded and held up her newly repaired mecha-tama. "Yep, I have to have time for my inventions!" She grinned evilly. "Just try and destroy this one! I added titanium to the outer shell!" 

Everyone in the room sweat dropped. 

"What?" Asked Su.

Ken shook his head

Kitsune finally managed to free herself of Sarah's chokehold. "You wouldn't tell them, you'd be admitting that you saw it too. They'd take you out as fast as they would me."

"I've been taking beatings from Naru and Motoko on an almost daily basis since I came back from my trip. I'm pretty sure that I can take the pain." Ken grinned. "How about you?"

"You're bluffing."

Ken laughed again. "Want to risk it? Especially since I haven't played my ace yet?"

Kitsune nearly fainted as she realized what Ken was talking about.

Ken laughed at the look on Kitsune's face. "I wonder how Naru would react to the tape of her and Keitaro performing the horizontal lambada if I told her where to find it."

Sarah tugged at Kitsune's sleeve. "What's a horizontal lambada? A type of dance?"

"Is it a yummy food?" Asked Su as she sent her mecha-tama off to inspect the kitchen for bananas. "It sounds yummy!"

"It's nothing important!" Kitsune yelled at the two teenagers. She turned to Ken. "Alright, what do you want?"

Ken nodded. "Just let me down for starters, and enough with the mutant flying turtles that seem to follow us everywhere, and no more using the thermoptic suits to spy on us, and…"

"Ok, ok!" Kitsune yelled. "I get the picture! No more spying on you!"

Ken smiled. "Good. But the last one was to stop conning Keitaro out of his money for your sake."

Kitsune face faulted. "But why?"

Ken smiled. "Oh, you'll find out soon enough. Now, I have to go see a certain someone about something."

Sarah watched as Ken left the room. "That's it? We're not going to question him or anything? We never would have let the other dork get away like that."

"Keitaro never out-foxed me though." Kitsune sipped her sake. "I must be getting old, I'm losing my touch."

Su pulled out a large helmet with a variety of electrodes attached to it. "If you're worried about getting old you can try my age reversal machine!"

The resident fox looked between the helmet and the dark skinned girl. "Then again, getting old ain't so bad."

Kanako sipped at her tea and looked up from her magazine to see Shinobu on one of her traditional cleaning sprees. "You sure seem to be in a good mood today."

Shinobu smiled. "Yeah, I am."

Kanako laid her magazine down beside her. "So?"

"_Nani_?"

"Don't give me that cute and innocent act." Kanako leaned back into her seat. "You two must have done something to but such a bounce in your step."

Shinobu sat down across from the older girl. "What do you mean?"

Kanako sighed. "You two did it, didn't you?"

"It?" Shinobu's face instantly lit bright red. "It!? As in the 'it' it?"

Kanako nodded.

"No! We didn't!" Shinobu yelled, waving her duster wildly. "All we did was fall asleep together!"

Kanako raised an eyebrow. "As in actually sleeping sleep? Or you slept together?"

"Sleeping sleep! I fell asleep on his shoulder! Ok?" Shinobu managed to calm herself down a bit. "We were going to go to dinner, but the bike broke down and it started to rain, so we just stayed at the Four Seasons for the night…"

Kanako nearly spilt her tea on her shirt. "You stayed at the Four Seasons? How'd you afford that?"

Shinobu shook her head. "Ken took care of everything, so I don't really know."

Kanako leaned forward in her seat. "Let me get this straight, you two went to one of the best five-star hotels in the country, and all you did was fall asleep?!"

"Well, we talked for a while too…" Shinobu paused and looked at the older girl. "Why am I telling you about this again?"

"Girl talk?"

"You've never been one for girl talk, at least not to me." Shinobu pointed out.

Kanako shrugged. "Well, I am now, ok? So, where were you this morning?"

"We went to breakfast, got his motorcycle repaired and walked around the Ginza District while we waited." Shinobu replied calmly.

Kanako blinked. "I can't believe a guy like Ken wouldn't be pressuring you for…"

"Ken is not that kind of guy." Shinobu cut Kanako off. "He's kind, and sweet, and…I think I'm…"

Kanako smiled. "Well, just be careful you don't get yourself hurt." With that the goth girl stood and went off in search of other entertainment.

Shinobu sat alone with her thoughts a moment more, smiled, and returned to her cleaning.

Two figures watched the Hinata-sou from a safe distance via their powerful binoculars. They observed the different parties of people that moved freely about the dorm in silence for a time, each contemplating their own mission.

Each figure kept her identity concealed by wearing a long black trench coat. Each also had a long staff strapped to her back. Though similar, they were not identical. They differed in height by nearly half a foot. They taller one's staff ended with a sharp and deadly looking blade attached by a chain that recessed into the staff casing. The smaller figure's staff was simpler in that it tapered off into blunt ends. 

"What do you think _onee-san_? Is she going to try to run off the way our brother did?" Asked the smaller of the two figures.

The second lowered her binoculars. Although she could no longer see the people within, her intense gaze did not move from the building. "If she is, she's doing a poor job of it. She uses her ki and chi recklessly, and gives away her position."

"Maybe she's trying to lead us to her?" suggested the second as she too lower her binoculars. "Maybe she found our targets?"

The taller figure shook her head. "Doubtful. She is as he was. Even if she found those we seek, she would not tell us."

The small figure frowned. "Well, what about that second chi we felt? I've never felt anything like that before."

"Nor I." Replied the other. "Yet, it seems familiar." She turned to her little sister. Although she could not see her face beneath the long leather hood of her trench coat, she could tell that the girl trembled with anticipation. "You wish to investigate the source of the chi. Don't you?"

The girl nodded. "You know how I love to face strong opponents, that would be quite a challenge to test my skills against."

The older woman nodded. "Very well, go and investigate it."

The smaller figure turned her head in surprise. "But _onii-san_ ordered me to find Saburo. I can't just abandon my mission like that!"

"You aren't abandoning it, you are turning it over to me. I will find our traitorous little brother and discover who has been hiding him." She returned her gaze toward the Hinata-sou. "If you do confront them, just caution. The man is unusual, fragmented…I can't read him clearly. He is strong though."

The younger girl laughed playfully. "The stronger the better." She took her staff from her back. "Besides, no one has ever been able to stand against me and my _Kunpuu_."

The older woman turned and began to walk away from her sister. "There was one."

"Yeah, but he's gone now so he doesn't count any more."

She waited as her sister jumped over the edge of the roof and disappeared from sight. She then hoisted her staff and ran toward the opposite edge of the roof. She used her staff and vaulted over the small wall. She twirled her staff as she fell, the counter spin of the staff created a burst of air that slowed her decent, and landed quietly into the darkened alleyway. She removed her long trench coat and wrapped it about her staff before entering the sun lit street once again. She checked her reflection a store window. She brushed her windblown hair back behind her ear and smoothed her school uniform out.

"I don't understand why father makes us where these stupid coats, but if that's what it takes to get to fight strong opponents, I guess I can deal with it." She continued on toward the Hinata-sou. "Still, what he doesn't know…" She giggled in anticipation. "This is going to be fun!" She glanced at the window one last time. "The Avatar of Wind may have a mission for the clan, but Sora needs some excitement and entertainment." She looked up at the dorm building. "And that is as good a place as any to find it."

Good? Bad? Other? Let me know, leave a review please. Seriously.

Name meanings

Kunpuu – Summer breeze

Sora - Sky


	13. History

A/N: Bit quicker on the update this time. Yay! Ok, done with self-praise now. Thanks again to reviewers who have stuck around, and thanks to new reviewers for the encouragement. That's all. Enjoy!

Love Hina: Healing Hearts

Disclaimer: Love Hina and all it's characters, plots, ideas and everything else that relates to the actual series don't belong to me, but rather Ken Akamatsu, TV Tokyo, and whole mess of other people. The original stuff is mine…unless it belongs to the little creatures dancing on my keyboard…I think I need some more sleep…or caffeine…whichever I find first…

Chapter Thirteen: History

Two men traded blows back and forth in the dark, pre-dawn hours of the morning. There moves were quick and powerful, yet their many movements upon the old roof of the inn were accompanied by no sound. No sound, save for the fact that one man was humming.

"Do you have to do that Ken?" Asked the quiet man at last.

Ken smiled as he threw another punch that the landlord easily avoided. "Sorry, it helps me to focus."

Keitaro spun about and roundhouse kicked at Ken's midsection. "How? I would think that you would be distracted singing and fighting at the same time."

Ken caught Keitaro's foot and shook his head. "Not really. Music and dueling are really similar."

Keitaro flipped out of Ken's grip and landed a kick to Ken's chest. "What are you talking about?"

Ken staggered back a moment before returning Keitaro's favor with a solid chop to the landlord's chest. "You know the three basic aspects of the warrior right?"

Keitaro rubbed his chest. "Of course, the body, the mind, and the spirit. What does that have to do with anything?"

Ken pushed forward and attacked again. "Each has a corresponding energy to it, ki, chi, and rei."

Keitaro caught his opponent's fist. "And?"

Ken head butted the older man. "I can hear the beats of those energies, like they're the bass, melody, and harmony. By singing I can focus my attention on the energies at play in battle."

Keitaro whipped his head up and head butted Ken in retaliation. "That is the weirdest thing I've ever heard."

"No one appreciates my style." Ken rubbed his forehead where he had been struck. "Everything has a pulse, I hear it as a beat, put it to music, and move forward according to that beat. I don't have to think in battle, just let the music take control and move my body."

They spared for a few more minutes before Keitaro spoke again. "You're playing a dangerous game you know."

Ken nodded sadly. "I know, but I will make sure that you and the others are kept safe."

"And how are you going to do that when you don't follow their movements anymore."

Ken stopped his attack. "You mean you can't tell?"

Keitaro stopped as well. "_Nani_?"

Ken half-smiled. "This house has changed its form over the years, but it essentially remains the same."

Keitaro shook his head. "I don't understand."

"This is the place of gathering for the legendary warrior." Ken turned to Keitaro and crossed his arms. "You are familiar with the legend right?"

Keitaro scratched his head nervously. "_Ano_, maybe you could refresh me?"

Ken sighed. "You're hopeless. The warrior wasn't a real person; it was kind of a union of powerful families during the feudal period. There were six families in all. It was even said that any one of those families could have risen to power, but decided to throw their power behind that of the rising Meji government. They came to the agreement a top a sacred hill and vowed to assist one another and the new government as needed."

"Oh yeah, I remember some of the story now. Each clan took a name to create the 'warrior' as part of a code." Keitaro scratched his chin. "If I remember what granny told me, there were two feet, two hands, the head, and the heart."

Ken nodded. "Yeah, and take a wild guess where the clans met to discuss this new proposal."

Keitaro nodded. "I always wondered why the Hinata-sou held such magic."

"The Hinata-sou was built on the consecrated ground of the gathering place of that meeting." Ken confirmed. "You are the heir to the Urashima clan, one of six clans that agreed to that pact. Of those six, one was thrown out for ambitious and dark desires. Of the remaining five, four have gathered here already. But…" Ken nodded toward the rooms in which the others slept. "There are representatives of five of the clans here now."

"Huh?" Keitaro began to count on his fingers. "But that would mean…"

Ken nodded again sadly. "That's right." He focused on Keitaro, a look of determination crossing his face. " 'The Gathering' is upon us. It will only be a matter of time before the final battle comes."

Keitaro nodded. "I guess…"

Ken glanced at his watch. "Come on, we have a bit more time before the girls wake for their training. Let's go another round, this time no holding back."

Keitaro dropped into his ready stance. "One clan was thrown out. How come?"

Ken matched Keitaro's stance. "You know the saying 'the right hand knows not what the left is doing'?"

Keitaro nodded and attacked again, faster this time.

Ken countered with a foot block and continued. "It originated when the left hand of the warrior decided that it should be the head, the leader of the clans." He spun and backhanded Keitaro to the face, dropping the man to the ground. "The left hand had become twisted by one of the prominent leaders within. The other clans united and banished them to the shadows."

Keitaro rolled out of the way as Ken buried his fist into the roof where he had been laying. "So this gathering is about what? Revenge?"

Ken nodded as he narrowly avoided Keitaro's rapid punches. "Basically, but it's more dangerous now…" He was cut off as Keitaro gave him an uppercut that knocked him back. He leaned back and placed his hands on the roof. As he flipped back he caught the landlord's chin with his foot. "Your clan and the others have weakened considerably over the centuries since the pact was created. The Shadow Clan, as they like to call themselves now, however has spent the time culminating their bloodlines to create the perfect warriors for the task at hand."

"Perfect warriors?" Keitaro paused. "You mean they've been breeding like cattle for all this time just to destroy the Aoyamas?" The landlord jumped into the air and delivered a flying kick that would have made Su jealous.

Ken grabbed the man by his ankle and spun him through the air as he shook his head. "They call them Avatars, and there are…were, seven. But they're not just after the Aoyamas K-man." Ken released Keitaro, sending him flying down the roof.

Keitaro curled into a ball and allowed himself to be carried by the momentum of the strong spin he was caught in. He stood at the edge of the roof just before he fell, and felt his stomach sink as the full weight of Ken's words hit him. "So there are six of them ready to fall on us?"

Ken nodded and dashed forward with a flurry of kicks. "The Aoyamas are just phase one. They are going to systematically hunt down the other clans and end the bloodlines entirely in revenge for the life of shadow that they were exiled to. But there are only three Avatars and their leader who are ready to attack you."

Keitaro managed to block most of the attack, but not all. "Four total? But…"

Ken shook his head, trying to avoid the line of questioning. "There are four you need to worry about." He roundhouse kicked forcing Keitaro further onto the defensive.

Keitaro swallowed hard as he ducked. He knew that he would regret asking this later, but it had to be asked. "How is it you know the plans of the Shadow Clan and the histories of the warrior clans in such detail?"

Ken sweat dropped. "How the hell did you get picked over your sister to head up the clan?" Ken rubbed his eyes. "I know you're not the brightest of bulbs, but you're not a complete idiot. Use your brain man." Ken smiled as the realization hit home. "That's right. I was one of them. I'm the one they hunt."

"The Hotaru must be one as well." Keitaro deduced.

"_Hai_, but she knows nothing of the past." Ken agreed.

Keitaro ran up the roof towards Ken. At the last second he dropped to the ground and sweep kicked his legs from under him. "Still, only four warriors doesn't seem like much of a problem."

Ken grunted as he landed hard on his back. He managed to roll away just before Keitaro's foot crashed into the tiles, shattering them into dust. "There are three Avatars and their leader." Ken corrected. "However, they also have an entire clan of 'normal' warriors at their disposal as well."

Keitaro stood and relaxed from his fight stance. Things were a lot worse than he thought. He hadn't the energy to fight Ken any longer. He sat on the roof and watched the sun rise. "So, were basically screwed."

Ken sat besides the landlord and placed a hand on his shoulder. "On paper, yes. But battles are spontaneous; there is no way to tell the victor until the battle is over. It all comes down to who has the greater conviction and more meaningful reason to fight."

Keitaro nodded. "I suppose. What is it you fight for?"

Ken gave the landlord a sad, half smile. "Atonement. I came to protect those I've wronged in the past. And to ensure the safety of one whom I helped once." He paused he saw snow begin to fall, and smiled. "Snow on Christmas Eve, a good omen."

Keitaro nodded. "What do you mean the people you've wronged? And helped?"

Ken shook his head. "Those are stories for another time." He glanced over toward the stairs. "You know she's been over there for a long time right?"

"Yep."

"And you know she has a video camera?"

"Yep."

"And you know she has a tape of you and Naru doing it?"

"Yep…What!?" Keitaro turned toward the step. "Kitsune!"

Kitsune's footsteps could be heard running down the stairs as Keitaro took off in hot pursuit.

Ken smiled. "I warned her not to spy on me…"

"Damn it Kit! Get back here!" Naru chased her friend around the dorm wildly waving Motoko's Hina Blade. "How dare you tape that! I'll kill you!"

"Naru! Calm down!" Kitsune was running out of stamina. She had been running from Naru for nearly six hours now. She looked down as she saw Ken's body lying on the hall floor covered in a multitude of large bumps, bruises, and cuts. He hadn't move in nearly two hours from that position. "No way am I ending up like that!"

"Hey! I need my sword so I can practice!" Motoko followed after Naru attempting to retrieve her precious blade, and calm Naru at the same time.

Keitaro gave chase as well. "Naru! Just remember it's very bad to kill your best friend!"

"It's also very bad to be a voyeuristic, perverted, peeping tom!" Naru shot back as she took another swing at Kitsune.

Shinobu went over to Ken and gently shook him. "Come on, wake up. We need your help in stopping Naru."

Kanako, Sarah, Hotaru, and Moriko watched in amusement as the others ran around in a complete frenzy. "_Baka_." They laughed in unison.

Su came out of her room to investigate the commotion in the hallway. In her hand was a small palmtop computer. "Is this what everyone is all upset about?"

Everyone stopped and gathered around the blonde girl, even Ken seemed to spontaneously recover, as Su opened the file marked "Girls Gone Wild". Everyone's eyes went wide as the video appeared.

"Whoa!" Su remarked. "Why did you have such a big banana in your pants Keitaro?" The video continued to play. "Hey Naru? Did the banana taste good?"

Shinobu fainted.

Luckily Ken caught her before she fell. He glanced back at the screen, his eyes widening slightly. "Damn man…" He glanced over at Sarah, Hotaru, and Moriko. "Hey! You're all too young to be watching something like this!" He began to push the two girls off to the lower levels of the inn.

"You can't tell me what I can or can't watch!" Moriko protested.

"Me either!" Sarah yelled as the tan boy grabbed her shirt collar to haul her away.

"Watch me." Ken replied and forced the girls down the steps.

"_Onii-chan_…" Kanako gasped as she watched.

Motoko couldn't help but watch in complete amazement. "So that's what is looks like…"

"Turn that crap off!" Yelled Naru and Keitaro at the same time.

Naru brought her blade down and smashed the small screen in Su's hand.

"Aww, why'd you do that?" Su complained.

Naru panted heavily. "To destroy the evidence."

Su blinked in confusion. "But that was a streaming video."

"_Nani_?"

Su nodded. "The website is using that clip as a free preview to get people to buy the full video."

Kitsune sweat dropped as the remaining members of Hinata-sou turn on her position. "Wait a second! I may have taped it, but I didn't sell it! I'm not that immoral!" She glanced around seeing that no one was listening to what she had to say. "Umm, bye!"

Down stairs Ken, Shinobu, Hotaru, and Moriko did their best to ignore the yelling above them as they ate lunch.

"So what are you two doing as your Christmas Eve date?" Inquired Hotaru.

Shinobu blinked in surprise. She hadn't even thought about that. It had always been that she would do most of the cooking for the party they threw right here at the dorm, but now that she was part of a couple…did that mean she had to do something different?

Ken smirked. "And why do you want to know _imouto_?"

Hotaru took another bite of her meal. "No reason, just curious."

"Well, I was thinking that…"

"Hello? Is anyone home?" Called a voice from the front door.

The others rose and walked to the front door.

Moriko gasped as they met the visitor.

A girl of about fifteen stood waiting for them. She was dressed in a school uniform despite the fact that the school was out still. Her eyes were a pale, silvery gray. Her hair was the same color and flowed down to her mid back. Her skin was pale and in the mid-afternoon light seemed to shine pure white. She would have looked very much like an angel if not for the fact that at her back a large pole was wrapped in black fabric, rather than a golden halo.

"Hello, I'd like to rent a room here." The girl greeted. She turned to Moriko. "Hello little sister. What? No hug?"

"Sora! What the hell…I mean, what are you doing here?" Moriko trembled at the sight of her elder sister.

"Father asked me to run some errands for him, but _onee-san_ took them over for me so I could go play." The silver haired girl replied. "Oh, that's a really bad color for your hair by the way. You should let it go natural again."

"Play?" Moriko squeaked.

Ken stepped in, seeing that Moriko was about to fall over because she was so nervous. "Well, rooming arrangements are up to Keitaro, but he's a bit…" He grimaced as there was a loud crash followed by Kitsune screaming. "Things are a little bit crazy right now. I'm sure he'll introduce himself later. You might as well have some food in the meantime."

"Thank you." Sora followed Hotaru, Sarah, and Shinobu into the dinning room.

Moriko grabbed Ken's shoulder. "We need to get her out of here quickly!"

"First off," Ken turned to the younger girl. "What is this 'we' you speak of?"

"Oh come on! You just majorly baled me out!" Moriko insisted.

"Which you're welcome for by the way." Ken turned and walked back to the dinning room where his food was waiting.

Moriko rushed around and stopped Ken. "Ok, ok, thank you. Now please help me? We can't let my sister stay here. Nothing good will come of it."

"Like I said, it's Keitaro's choice, not mine." Ken moved forward.

Moriko stopped him again. "You don't understand…"

Ken placed a hand on her head and rubber her hair gently. "I understand better than you realize. You have the strength to stand up to your sister, believe that. Don't let her get to you."

For some reason Ken's words and gentle touch reassured Moriko. She felt all her worry and fear disappear. Without reason she hugged Ken close, and smiled as Ken awkwardly hugged her back. She stood up on her tiptoes and kissed him on the cheek. "Thanks."

"Uh, yeah, sure." Ken separated himself from the girl. They turned and walked into the dinning room.

"So where are we going again?" Asked Motoko as she climbed into Seta's van with the other tenants.

Hotaru shrugged. "_Onii-chan_ said he had a special gift for us for Christmas."

Sora yawned. "So we have to go get it?"

"You should be thankful that _onii-chan_ is including you in the gift giving since we only just met you." Hotaru replied.

"How come we're not going with Ken and Shinobu like we usually do?" Su pouted. "I like riding in the motorcycle!"

"The coupling rod for the side cart is still busted."

Naru looked around the confines of the van. "Maybe we should use your van too Keitaro."

Keitaro shook his head. "Nah, we'll be fine."

Seta entered the van and got behind the wheel. "I agree."

Haruka grabbed her husband by the ear and removed him to the passenger seat. "I'll drive this time dear."

The others let out a sigh of relief that Seta wouldn't be driving this time.

Kitsune pointed out the window, while holding a bag of ice to her head with her other hand. "Ken wants us to follow him."

"You're not going to tell me, are you?" Shinobu leaned into the turn as Ken rounded the corner.

Ken looked back and smiled. "It wouldn't be surprise then. No worries, only another couple miles." Sure enough very soon they arrived at their destination. "And behold!"

"Kanagawa Neverland!?" Shinobu looked up at the gates in awe and then back to Ken. "You have tickets to Christmas in the Parks?"

Ken nodded and pulled a handful of tickets from his pockets as the rest of the Hinata-sou tenants came up to their position. "My gift to all of you for putting up with me the last few months. Enjoy."

Shinobu watched as the others moved off towards the different attractions in the park. She smiled at Ken and took his hand before dashing into the park.

Good? Bad? Other? Leave a review and tell me what you think.


	14. The Calm

A/N: HAHAHAHA! At last classes are out! - But now I need to get another job, because I got into another damn car accident. Stupid English teacher. Couple that to major writers block, well… this is the result. Please be gentle with the amount of flames you send. We all have our off days. My apologies in advance for this poor excuse for a chapter. Sorry also for slow updates. Lightning storms have been wreaking havoc on my systems and delayed me even further.

Thanks again to readers and reviewers who have stuck around. Thanks to new readers and reviews for stopping by.

To Daemon faa, Thanks for the review, but did you mean "book"? -

To walkswithwraiths, glad you liked the Naru image. As for the Kanako fic you've been pestering me about (deathglare) STOP PESTERING ME! - All I'm going to say is that your whining has caused some ideas to start bouncing around my head, but if I can't figure out a way to pull it off, it's headed for the scrap heap. No promises either way.

Anywho, on with the story. Enjoy.

Love Hina: Healing Hearts

Disclaimer: I own nothing but my own characters. Love Hina is Ken Akamatsu's. Sorry nothing catchy or funny today…TT

Chapter Fourteen: The Calm

Ken woke and stared at the ceiling, and immediately realized that something was wrong. The pattern on the ceiling was different than what he was used to seeing in the morning. He tried to sit up, but lay down again quickly with a groan and a terrible headache. "Note to self, no more drinking games with Haruka and Kitsune. I think I'm going to be sick." He looked around and realized the other reason that he hadn't been able to sit up, something or rather someone, was holding down his arm and chest. "Oh my…"

Shinobu awoke with a groan. "Su is so going to pay for all those banana daiquiris she made me drink." She looked up from where her head rested on Ken's shoulder, and her eyes widened in shock. She looked around quickly, and was relieved to see that she was in her room, but she was nervous that she under the covers of her futon with Ken. She removed her hand from where it rested on his bare, scar covered chest and lifted her sheets just enough to peek beneath it. "Oh my…" She turned back to Ken in a panic. "Did we…"

Ken, also in panic, shook his head. "I have no idea, I can't remember anything past that drinking game last night."

"I can't either." Shinobu was scared now.

"Is there any…"

"No, I don't think so."

Ken nodded. "Ok, ok, let's just try to piece this all together."

Shinobu nodded. "Ok, we started a the park…"

Shinobu watched as the others moved off towards the different attractions in the park. She smiled at Ken and took his hand before dashing into the park. "Come on!"

Ken laughed as he followed behind. "Relax Shinobu-chan, we have all night, and the VIP passes."

"I know, but it's been a while since I've been here."

Ken smiled. "Alright were do you want to start first?"

Shinobu looked around the expansive grounds. "The Ferris wheel!"

Ken gently pulled her back. "Trust me on this one, let's wait until later for that one."

Shinobu gave him a puzzled look, but nodded. "Alright." She looked around again. "How about that?" She pointed to the bumper cars.

"Sure."

---

"Motokies!" Su climbed up on her friend's back. "What do you want to do first?"

"There is supposed to be a demonstration of swordplay over in the main exhibit hall soon. I wouldn't mind seeing that." The older girl began to walk towards the building she located on the map.

Su smiled and dropped down to the street. "You think we could get some food on the way?"

Motoko smiled. "I don't see why not, but you're paying half this time." She wrapped her hand around the smaller girls shoulders. "You nearly bankrupted me the last time you made me pay for your food."

Su laughed and placed her arm about Motoko's waist and gave her a gentle squeeze. "Hey, you ate too ya know!"

"Not seven servings!" The raven-haired beauty replied playfully.

Su laughed. "Oh like that makes a difference!"

"Ugh, you two are almost as cutesy as Ken and Shinobu." Groaned a voice from behind them.

The two girls quickly pulled away from each other and turned to see Kanako.

Kanako stared at the two girls. "How long has this little relationship been going on?"

Motoko shrugged. "A month maybe."

Su nodded. "Six weeks, four days, twelve hours, thirty-six minutes, ten seconds…eleven seconds…twelve seconds…"

"I get the point." Kanako shook her head. "Ever since the fiasco with cherry-kun you two have been making eyes at each other. I knew, but…" Kanako paused and looked away. "I was going to ask to stay with you guys, but I can see I'd be a third wheel." She turned to walk away.

Su whispered to Motoko quickly, and then turned to Kanako. "We wouldn't mind you coming with us! It will be fun! We can get some food and see the show and go ride the rides and…"

Kanako clamped the girl's mouth shut with her hand. "I have one word for you, decaf."

Motoko smiled and walked off towards the exhibit hall.

"Hey! Don't leave me!" Su cried and scampered after Motoko.

---

"I am so going to beat you!" Hotaru challenged.

Sarah strapped herself into her go-kart. "You wish! I learned how to drive from my daddy!"

Hotaru laughed. "That's why I'm going to win! You're going to crash and burn in ten seconds!"

Sarah grinned. "We'll see."

"The only thing you girls are going to see are my exhaust fumes!" Moriko jumped into the kart in front of the other girls. "Because I'm going to win this race!" She stopped as a wave of silver hair breezed past her.

Sora calmly sat in the car next to Moriko's. "Oh, so sorry to disappoint you little sister, but this race belongs to me." The four girls looked at each other and smirked.

"May the best woman win." Hotaru put up.

"Well, then I have nothing to worry about!" Sarah ducked at Moriko threw her shoe at her. "You're not getting this back you know!"

Moriko laughed. "Oh shut up and race!"

The buzzer sounded and the cars sped off.

From the sidelines Haruka took another drag of her ever-present cigarette. "Your insurance is paid up right?"

Seta blinked and ate another piece of cotton candy. "I think so. Why?" He ducked as four go-karts leapt over the fence and speed off into the park. "Oh, that's why."

---

Naru rested her head on Keitaro's shoulder as the sat on the loveseat of the carrousel. "This was so nice of Ken."

Keitaro nodded. "Yeah."

Naru raised an eyebrow at the distant sound of her fianc's voice. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing."

"I know you better than that." Naru sat back a bit. "Talk to me."

Keitaro smiled. "You do know me too well." He sighed and leaned against Naru a bit. "Ken and I were talking this morning…things are bad Naru."

Naru gently ran her hands through Keitaro's thick hair. "It will be alright." She smiled slightly. "The Clans will band together sever the left hand of the warrior again."

Keitaro nodded. "I just hope we can."

Naru lifted his head and looked deep into his eyes. "We will, I'm not going to let you disappear on me again."

Keitaro stood as the ride came to a stop. "This night is to nice to worry about this stuff. I'm sorry I brought it up." He took her hand and smiled. "Let's go find something more fun to do."

Naru gave his hand a gentle squeeze. "For what it's worth, I'm glad you told me. No more secrets between us."

Keitaro smiled. "You can thank our resident cook for showing me the light."

---

Shinobu made her way from the exit of the roller coaster on shaky legs. She playful hit Ken in the arm. "You are so mean! You told me that there were no loops!" She continued to playfully attack him. She couldn't remember ever having this much fun with someone, the whole night had been perfect. The rides, the shows, the dinner at that nice restaurant, and all with Ken, it was perfect.

Ken ducked through her guard and swept her off her feet and into his arms. "But that was the only way I could get you to go with me."

"Ken!" Shinobu cried in surprise. "Put me down! People are staring!"

Ken grinned and spun her around. "So?" At last he put her down. "We have a few minutes still, what do you want to do now?"

Shinobu blinked. "A few minutes? Until what?"

Ken smiled. "Hey, isn't there a rule somewhere that says I have to win you a prize or something?"

"You don't have to, but I would be nice to have a souvenir for such a wonderful trip." Shinobu admitted.

"Alright, which on do you like?"

Shinobu looked around at the different gaming booths until her eyes settled on one. "Do you think you could get that teddy bear?"

Ken looked over at the booth. "I think so." He walked over and picked up two of the popguns on the table. "You sure Shinobu-chan? That one?"

Shinobu nodded.

Ken paid the man the small fee. Ken turned around and looked at Shinobu. He then spun quickly and fired off the two shots.

Shinobu looked on in a mixture of amusement and disappointment as both shots went wide. "Oh well."

Ken smiled. "Just watch." The small pellets bounced off the walls and several other items, including the teddy bear. Five separate prizes fell, one of which was a larger version of the bear that Shinobu had picked. He gathered his prizes from the awestruck vendor and handed off the larger teddy bear. "Here you go Shinobu."

Shinobu laughed as she took the bear. "It's almost a big as me!" She gave Ken a small kiss on the cheek. "Thank you, but how'd you do that?"

"It's all in the angles." Ken glanced at his watch. "Follow me." They ran through the park until they came to the Ferris wheel. "'Scuse me. Pardon me. Sorry about that. Heads up." At last Ken made his way to the front of the line. He flashed his pass to the attendant and boarded one of the lift carts with Shinobu. "It's nearly time."

"Time for what?" Shinobu asked again. Suddenly the sky lit up with color and Shinobu moved closer to the window in order to see.

Ken stood behind her. "On Christmas Eve they give a special fireworks display here." Ken smiled as Shinobu watched the show. "This is the best spot to watch from." He gave her a gentle hug. "Merry Christmas Shinobu-chan."

Shinobu turned and kissed Ken again, this time on the lips. "Merry Christmas Ken." She turned around and looked down at the flashing police lights weaving through the park.

Ken glanced down at where Shinobu was looking. "Please tell me that those four aren't driving through the park in go-karts."

Shinobu laughed lightly. "It could be worse, Su could be driving through with one of her Tamas."

---

Everyone had planed to return to the Hinata-sou after the fireworks since that was the closing of the special events in the park, but the security guards hastened that decision after catching the four go-karters.

"So who ended up winning the race anyway?" Moriko asked as the entourage of people entered the apartments.

"I did of course!" Sarah chimed.

"Yeah right! I won!" Hotaru shot back as she hit her friend with the stuffed dragon her brother won for her.

Ken sighed. "Can we please not talk about that race? I have never seen so much damage done in such a short time."

Sora shrugged. "We could have done more. We avoided the people at least."

Keitaro groaned. "That is just about the only thing you avoided."

Ken sighed. "Well, at least no one got hurt."

Kitsune walked off to the kitchen and came back to the living room where everyone else crashed. "Exactly, now lets not let this ruin the evening." She held up a couple bottles of sake. "Anyone going to join me?"

Ken nodded. "Sure, why not? Maybe it'll make me forget how much I paid out in damage dues."

Moriko looked down at the teddy bear that Ken had given her. "Sorry."

Ken nodded. "Forget it." He downed his sake. "That's good stuff."

Su dashed off to the kitchen and came back with an armful of supplies as she sat on the large stuffed banana that Ken won her. "Sake by itself is boring! Needs Bananas and ice! Su style banana daiquiris for all!"

Kanako grabbed the sake bottle from Kitsune. "Just give me the straight stuff."

Kitsune grinned. "As long as we're all here, why don't we play a game?"

Naru sweat dropped. "A drinking game? With you? What are you after?"

Sora leaned onto her back and tossed the stuffed dove Ken gave her into the air. "I like games, I'll play." She caught the toy bird. "So what are the rules?"

Kitsune grinned. "We take turns asking each other questions, any questions, and if you choose not to answer you have to take a drink."

Shinobu looked around nervously. "I don't know…"

Su jumped up and poured one of her banana drinks into Shinobu's mouth. "Come on it will be fun!"

Shinobu swallowed the sweet drink and, since she had a zero tolerance for alcohol, its effects were almost immediate. "Ok, I'll play too."

"I want to play!" Hotaru yelled.

Ken playfully pushed her down in her seat. "No way, you're twelve."

"And you're only six-teen!" She retorted.

"I'm a legal adult. Emancipated, remeber?"

Hotaru blanked on that one. "Well…Moriko's going to play and she's only four-teen!"

"I'm not her legal guardian." Ken replied as he poured himself another drink. "You can play, but you get soda." He nodded to Kitsune. "I'm in."

Hotaru pouted. "Fine."

Kitsune smiled as everyone else took his or her glasses. "Alright, and the first question is, what is one thing about you that no one else knows?"

---

"I remember anything after that." Shinobu admitted.

Ken nodded. "I remember the questions becoming more risqué, but it's all really hazy." Ken swallowed hard. "I can't remember anything. Maybe we should ask the others if we…"

Shinobu cut him off. "No!"

Ken blinked. "Ok," his voice was soft. "We won't ask."

Shinobu nodded. "Thanks." She looked down at the sheet self-consciously.

Ken caught her gaze, and turned his back. "Go ahead and change."

"Thanks."

Shinobu wrapped herself in a sheet and made her way to her closet and quickly selected black skirt and white sweater. She looked back to make sure that Ken wasn't peeking at her. She blinked at the empty futon. "He's fast." Dressing quickly, Shinobu ran off toward Su's room. "If anyone would know what happened last night, she would." Shinobu opened the door and quietly climbed the tree to where Su slept. "Where is she? Motoko!"

Shinobu turned and ran to Motoko's room and opened the door. "Su? Are you in here?"

"Not so loud. My head hurts." The tan girl sat up in her futon.

"Su, I need you to look through your video cameras in the house and find out if…if…if…" Shinobu, for a brief moment, could actually feel her brain stop working completely. "I'm so sorry!" She ran from the room.

Motoko sat up and rubbed the sleep from her eyes. "What was that all about?"

"I don't know." Kanako sat up and stretched the kinks out of her back, then blinked. "How did we get here and more importantly, where are our clothes!"

---

Ken pulled his jacket on and looked into the mirror in his room. "I have to know. I have to know if I hurt her." He turned away and left his room. "We were both drunk, but that's no excuse. If I hurt her I wouldn't be able to live with myself." He stopped outside the door of his destination. "Time to make a deal with the devil." He knocked on the door. "Or rather the fox."

Kitsune opened the door looking rather unkempt. "It's way to early and my head is pounding. What do you want?"

"Did you tape anything last night?" Ken asked getting straight to the point.

Kitsune grinned. "Oh so that's what this is about." She leaned against the doorframe. "What if I did?"

"I need to see it." Ken stated calmly.

"Well that's going to cost you…"

"Name your price." Ken cut her off.

Kitsune blinked. "That was easy. Ok, two, no three bottles of sake a week."

Ken nodded. "Done. Now, the tape."

Kitsune blinked again. "Why so serious?" She turned and retrieved the tape from her closet.

"I have to know if I hurt her." Ken took the tape.

Kitsune watched as he walked back to his room. "I feel kind of bad scamming him into buying my sake now." She closed the door and fell back into bed. "I wanted to get even with him for ratting me out about that other tape, but maybe I went to far this time." She chuckled a bit. " Nah. Oh well, the tape will smooth everything out. And he doesn't need to know that I set the whole thing up."

"Kitsune!"

The resident fox jumped as the door to her room was thrown open. "Now hold on I can explain!"

Good? Bad? Other? Leave a review and let me know.


	15. The Storm Part 1

A/N: Ok, I think I got my act together for this one. Sorry again for the last chapter.

To MaDeR: Sorry you didn't like the last few chaps. I was trying to lighten the mood before the s hit the fan, but it clearly didn't have the desired result. Hope you like this one better.

To kendogirl15: Thanks for the reviews! And yes I did go back find a few typos in my work, but that's bound to happen when you write more than four words at a time. Unlike cough cough you cough cough.  Oh, well. At least that crap story of yours was removed.

To he who reported kendogirl15: (I'm not sure if they notify people of who reported them and don't want to out you just in case) You have done the world a great service. I didn't realize she flamed so many people so many times or I would have reported her. I thought she just hit me and didn't really care. (riderofdragons bows humbly) Thank you much for your actions.

As always, thanks to readers and reviewers who have stuck around and thanks to all new comers. That's all, enjoy!

Love Hina: Healing Hearts

Disclaimer: I own nothing but my own characters. Love Hina is Ken Akamatsu's.

Chapter Fifteen: The Storm – Part 1

She pulled the old and tattered book from where it sat on the shelf and gently brushed the dust from its cover. She sat down and opened the book until she found the page she was looking for. She read the words written by her ancestor centuries ago.

_Our clan has at long last been forced to make a decision. The Ashura Clan, who compose the left hand of the warrior, has become increasingly violent as of late. The Aoyamas have called a meeting to try to peacefully resolve this issue, but we know that it will fail. Our position as the heart of the warrior gives us the gift to see into the hearts of others and know their deepest desires. Though I myself abhor violence, I fear there is no alternative but to strike the Ashura Clan down, and the other clans know it as well. If this should come to pass…the Ashura will not go quietly into the night to die. They will remain and lie in wait to exact their revenge. They will fester like an open wound upon the warrior they were once a part of. We must try to prevent this, we cannot allow them to walk that path or we will all be destroyed. The Ashura must either be brought up to see the light and renounce their dark ways, or their lines must be ended completely. These are the only two paths that ensure the safety of us all. Not only the clans, but also all of the people of Japan. I can only pray that the gods and goddesses will guide us to the proper path, and give us the strength to travel it._

The woman continued to leaf through the pages until she came to a more recent entry. The date listed it as eight years old.

_Our greatest fears have come to life this day. The Ashura Clan has returned to end our bloodlines as we attempted to do to them so many years ago. They call themselves the Kokuei now, but they are the same demons that the legends of old describe. Not only have they returned, but the method by which they attempt to kill us is utterly terrifying. The practice of pooling bloodlines together in order to have the child's ki take the form of an aspect of nature has be revived. This practice was outlawed because the concentration of a single element within the child can cause them to become mentally unstable. In the time of my ancestors such beings were known as Avatars. We faced two of them today, the Avatar of Earth and the Avatar of Spirit, and were nearly destroyed for it. Though both were incredibly young, they fought with the strength of demons. Were it not for the fact that one was thrown from the roof to the street below, and the second so overcome with grief at losing his brother, we may never have escaped._

_ Even with our hasty retreat, our losses were heavy. Lord and Lady Aoyama were the first to fall to the blades of these assassins. Next was the eldest Urashima. I can only hope that Haruka can help her widowed mother carry on. Although not of the clans, the blonde woman with the Noriyasu leader was slain when she attempted to protect her friend. My dear friend's husband was killed as well. I can only pray that young Naru never learns of the way in which her father died. As I hope my own daughter never learns of how my husband died._

The writing tapered off as though the writer could no longer hold the pen in her hand. The woman reading the old book trace her fingers over the pages feeling the water marks of the tears that her mother had cried while writing this entry. The writing then continued.

_Despite the losses we have suffered I know that it is not the end of this fight. If two Avatars were able to do this much, I cannot imagine the damage that will follow in their wake when joined by the Avatars of Wind, Water, Fire, Wood, and Lightning. Our only hope to defeating these…demons, lay in the hands of the next generation of our clans, our children. Please forgive me daughter, only you and your friends can see this through now. Please forgive your mother for not being able to protect you against the destiny you must face._

The woman closed the book and sighed heavily. She looked down into her lap at the small animal that rested there before lovingly patting its head. The small turtle looked up and cooed at her owner. "Yes, I suppose that we should go see them soon, shouldn't we?"

The turtle made another remark.

"You're right, they are in trouble. The Clan of Dark Shadows, the Clan of Fighting Demons, is growing close around them. Yet, as long as we remain here they won't be in immediate danger." She smiled down at the little turtle as she removed a stray brown hair from her vision. "After all, we can't have a Gathering without all the clan representatives being gathered." Suddenly she bolted to her feet staring off toward the direction of the Hinata-sou. She didn't even notice when her pet turtle flew up and landed on her head. Her voice filled with fright, she was only able to voice one word. A name. "Shinobu."

---

            A woman watched as the water flowed around her. She frowned as the cold water hit her skin and splashed up against the portions of her body that were not already submerged. This water was gentle and kind, completely lacking in power and force. She released her energy into the water.

The transition was slow at first as the tendrils of ki and chi intertwined and merged with the running currents of the river. Small whirlpools formed and grew larger in moments. As the whirlpools touched they merged into each other becoming larger still. In but a few minutes the multiple small whirlpools had become a single massive whirlpool that revolved around the woman.

"Having fun are we?"

The woman turned, her concentration diverted slightly causing the maelstrom about her to waiver almost imperceptibly. "Hello _onii-san_. Is there word from father?"

The black clad figure separated himself from the shadows of the forest that surrounded their home. "Indeed. Clothe yourself sister, and follow. We have much to prepare."

The woman leapt from the center of the whirlpool she had created on to the bank beside her brother. "The clan grows restless as The Gathering nears. And so do I."

"Father does not, nor do I, care if you and the others grow restless." The man turned and began walking back into the forest. "The Gathering cannot be rushed, as you well know, if we are to claim our rightful place as the most powerful clan and the new rulers of Japan."

The woman smiled as she followed close. "Why stop with just Japan? Why not the world?"

"You understand so little, because you know nothing." The man stated with out emotion. "One who knows nothing, can understand nothing. You are a power hungry fool because that is all that you can comprehend. Follow your orders and do not allow your idiocy to jeopardize our plans."

The woman gritted her teeth against the biting remark she wished to release. "As you wish."

"Good." The man pointed to were the other members of the clan were training. "Supervise them. I want them ready when I need them."

The woman nodded. "You mean when father needs them, don't you?"

"That's what I said."

The woman smiled. "Of course, my mistake." Her smile disappeared quickly as her brother walked off towards their father's study. "Are you ready?"

A shadow at the edge of the training facility stepped forward and nodded. "_Hai_, _onee-san_."

The woman smiled. "Good. I intend to bring in the New Year with a bang."

---

Naru blinked. "I've never seen her like this."

"I know." Keitaro agreed. "Something must have happened last night to make her this way."

Motoko nodded in agreement. "We should try to figure out exactly what it is that has lead to this state."

Kanako sighed. "You are all so incredibly dense it's nauseating."

The other three turned to face the younger Urashima.

Kanako sighed again. "They did go off together last night, it probably didn't go that well for them."

Su came bounding into the dinning room ready for breakfast. Before she sat for her meal she wrapped an arm around both Motoko and Kanako. "Good morning lovers!"

Motoko and Kanako both blushed deeply.

The rest of the inn soon came in as well, and all eyes turned to Ken.

Ken's eyes went wide. "Hold it. Whatever you're thinking, stop. I didn't do anything to her."

Shinobu opened the kitchen door and began to lay out the food onto the table.

Everyone looked at the food she prepared and gasped.

"You've outdone yourself Shinobu." Kitsune remarked as she reached for the platter before her.

Shinobu dropped a cup of instant ramen in front of the older woman and walked away.

Kitsune hung her head and took her breakfast to the kitchen to boil some water.

Everyone turned to stare at Kitsune as she left and then to Shinobu as she sat impassively eating her breakfast.

Ken smirked and sat down beside her. "Guess you know already?"

Shinobu nodded. "I heard her talking to herself as I came down from Su's room."

Ken nodded, a small grin on his face as Kitsune came back with her ramen cup. "Well played Shinobu."

Shinobu allowed a small smile to cross her face.

Sarah looked around at the other tenants. "_Nani_?"

---

Keitaro walked out to the old waterfall at the rear of the grounds. He was still worried about the conversation from yesterday. Things were happening to quickly for him to control. He wouldn't be able to protect everyone at this rate. "Three Avatars plus an unknown number of soldiers." He let out a frustrated yell and punched the nearest tree. There was a deafening crack as the tree snapped in two. "Damn it!"

"Ohhh! You're kind of on the skinny side, but you have some good power there."

Keitaro spun toward the sound of the voice and saw a woman in a black trench coat. Her hood was thrown back revealing that she had short black hair and her eyes were as blue as the deepest ocean waters. At her back rested a long staff with a large crescent blade attached at the end. Her slight movements caused the staff to make a clinking sound. There was only one weapon that Keitaro knew of with a chain inserted into a hollow staff, a shakujou staff.

The woman followed his gaze. "I see you've noticed _Uzumaki_." She grinned. "She hasn't had a good drink in a while, but if you tell me what I need to know I might let her go dry a bit longer."

Keitaro's eyes narrowed. "Who are you?"

The woman twirled her staff over her head. The crescent blade whipped out at the end of the chain toward Keitaro. "I'm the one asking the questions." She smiled. "I guess _Uzumaki_ will get a drink after all. She loves the taste of fresh, wet, blood."

Keitaro easily sidestepped the attack. As he expected the blade buried itself into the tree trunk behind him. What he had not expected was that the blade continued on cleaving the tree into two clean pieces. This woman was no one to trifle with. "You want info? So do I. Fair trade?"

The woman gave her chain a small tug and blade whipped back towards her. She laughed as Keitaro rolled out of the recoil attack. "I don't trade, I take. Now, who is the other man in your facility?"

Keitaro grinned. "I still haven't caught your name."

The woman's smile disappeared. "Fine, I'll kill you and interrogate the women." She whipped the chained blade forward again.

Keitaro caught the blade in one hand and grabbed the chain in the other. "Kind of a one trick pony huh?"

The woman smiled. "Not at all."

Keitato watched as her ki washed down from her arm along the length of chain. It flowed as water and struck him full in the chest. He gasped from the force with which he had been hit and the water-like ki rose up and entered his mouth. Suddenly Keitaro couldn't breath.

The woman's smile grew larger. "Seeing as your going to die, I guess you can know my name. I'm Amaya, the Avatar of Water." She laughed as landlord suffocated under her watery attack. "And you, Urashima heir, are dead." Without warning a shinobi throwing star severed her ki wave causing her to cry out in pain.

Ken stepped out from his hiding spot behind the tree. "You alright K-man?"

Keitaro fell to his knees and vomited. Although the water wasn't real, his body thought it was. "I'll live."

"Not for long you won't!" Amaya screamed and charged the fallen man. She stopped cold as another throwing star whizzed past her nose.

Ken smiled. "Good girl, stay."

Amaya growled.

The three fighters stared at one another in a tense stand still. They turned as a loud explosion was seen coming from the direction of the Hinata-sou.

Amaya smiled. "Took you long enough Saburo."

Ken gritted his teeth. "Keitaro! Go protect the girls! I deal with this one!"

Keitaro nodded and ran off.

"Like I'm going to let you get away!" Amaya leapt high into the air and chased after Keitaro.

Ken turned and followed her. "Damn! She's gotten faster!"

---

Shinobu looked up into the new hole in the ceiling. She hurt in places she didn't know she had. Her vision was doubled; her ears were ringing as well as bleeding. "_Na-nani_?" A black clad figure walked in and stood over her. The memories of the alley flowed back from months ago. "Noman?"

The figure looked down at Shinobu. "Noman? That is the name he uses? He's as pathetic as sister has told me." He raised his hand, holding a _nunchaku_, and gave it gentle spin.

Shinobu flinched as the weapon came toward her, but the blow never struck. Shinobu looked up to see why. Moriko had stopped the falling rod with her white katana.

"You stay away from her Saburo!" Moriko spun and kicked the attacker in the chest.

The figure in black toppled backward and fell to the ground. His hood fell back, revealing a boy who looked as though he should still be in elementary school. His hair was a dark brown with golden streaks zigzagging through out. "Moriko?! You're siding with them?"

Moriko shook her head. "The only side I'm on is my own, but this one is not a target to you. She's off limits."

Saburo stood. "I'm well aware that she is not of the clans." He smiled. "But I don't care. This girl is some how connected to our prey and I want to draw him out. I will prove to father that I am strong. I will prove that I am worthy to take the name of our dead brother."

 A light breeze brushed through the rooms, and Sora entered. She wore a black trench coat as well and was carrying a large bo staff. "I agree little brother." She turned to Moriko. "Cease this foolishness sister. We must obey father's orders if we are to take our right full place as the head of the warrior."

"Head of the Warrior?" Moriko scoffed. "You're going to kill the other clans, the rest of the warrior will be dead. Congratulations! You're the leaders of a corpse!"

Sora cocked her head to one side. "You speak as though you are no longer part of us."

Moriko nodded. "I'm not, I quit. Just like Kenji did."

Saburo twirled his nunchaku threateningly. "And the weakling died for his betrayal."

Moriko shook her head. "I don't believe that _onii-chan_ is dead. _Genseiri_'s handle still pulses with his presence. He is alive somewhere, and I will find him."

Saburo made a rude sound. "You're as crazy as the _baka_ that said he'd protect me." He charged toward Moriko, his nunchaku crackling with electricity. He never got the chance to strike the blow. A small blonde haired girl landed a flying kick to his head that sent him flying through the wall and into the next room.

"Listen dork!" Sarah landed on her feet and pointed a finger at the fallen boy. "I don't know what you're issue is, but Shinobu is my friend! And you are not getting to her with out going through me!"

"That goes for all of us." Motoko agreed as she entered the room followed by the remainder for the Hinata-sou.

Sora smiled. "Very well Aoyama. We were going to kill you all sooner or later any way."

Everyone turned as Keitaro came crashing through the wall. "Run! You can't face them! They're too strong!" He rolled to a defensive crouch as Amaya and Ken came in behind him trading blows.

Amaya was breathing hard, her thoughts jumbled. "Who is this guy? He fights with detailed knowledge of our fighting style, yet he is not one of us." She turned and glared at her siblings. "Grab the girl and go! Leave the other's for later!"

The Hinata-sou residents formed a defensive perimeter around Shinobu.

"No." Hotaru stepped forward with her _kodachis_ drawn, and pointed one at Sora. "This one's mine." She frowned. "You came into our home and now you do this. These people are family to me, the only one I've known. You get no closer to them than where you are now."

Moriko stepped forward. "Hotaru you can go one on one with her. She'll kill you!"

Hotaru glared at her friend. "You're one of them."

Moriko faltered. "No, I…"

"Pick a side, them or us!" Hotaru's ultimatum shocked the room into silence.

Moriko spun her katanas and sided with Hotaru. "Screw it. If I'm going to die, I'd rather be on the good side."

Amaya frowned. "So be it." She nodded to her siblings. "Kill them all, but keep our target…" She looked over the other people in the room. "And the Aoyama heiress alive." She smiled. "Father will want them see them both, before he kills them."

Ken and Keitaro exchanged glances, and nodded.

It was time.

Good? Bad? Other? Drop a review and tell me what you think.

Name meanings:

Ashura – fighting demon

Kokuei – dark shadow

Amaya – night rain

Uzumaki – whirlpool

Also, for those of you who couldn't picture Amaya's shakujou staff, it's the staff that Sha Gojyo uses in Saiyuki. Just in case you want to look it up.


	16. The Storm Part 2

A/N: (riderofdragons peaks out from his hiding place in author space) Please don't shoot me! I didn't mean to be so long in updating! For the first time in damn near forever I got to have a social life, even if it is a small one, and it kind of invaded writing time. I'm sure there's a rule somewhere that says authors can't have social lives unless they're between stories so as not to leave their readers hanging, I'll try not to break it again. Now on to other matters.

As always thanks to all who read and review, new and old alike.

To Asskicker2004: Thanks for the review, but I'm a tad confused. Were you yelling at me or kendogirl15? :-)

To BuntaWRX: Thank you for yelling at KG15! :-)

To walkswithwraiths: I thought you'd be proud of my being evil! You always tell me I'm too nice for my own good! BTW, I think your going to end up getting your Kanako themed fic when I finish this one as the ideas are beginning to make my brain hurt.

And now for the message I know I will regret later, but has been stuck in my head since I thought of it.

To kendogirl15: I can't help but wonder. Seeing as you're kendo**_girl_**15, why does you're review say you're the **_king_** of disses? Last time I checked, the king was usually a guy. So my question is: Are you one or the other, or perhaps somewhere in the middle? Like I said, I can't help but wonder.

Alrighty then! Moving on! Enjoy everyone!

Love Hina: Healing Hearts

Disclaimer: I own nothing but my own characters. Love Hina is Ken Akamatsu's.

Chapter Sixteen: The Storm Part 2

Ken and Keitaro exchanged glances, and nodded.

It was time.

Ken rushed forward and landed a strong right cross punch to Amaya's face, dropping her to the floor.

Keitaro followed up with a kick that sent Amaya up through the roof as though she were a playground kickball rather than a person.

Keitaro and Ken leapt up through the hole in the roof after their target.

Amaya landed hard on the roof, but managed to roll to her feet. She rubbed her face and felt the wet, sticky, texture of her blood. "You will pay for that!"

Ken landed a few meters away. "Whatever. Leave now and I'll pretend that I never saw you."

Amaya licked her lips and swallowed her own blood.

Keitaro cringed as he landed. "Oh, now that was totally uncalled for! That was just plain nasty."

Amaya smiled. "I'm not leaving until I get what I came for."

"Then I hope you came for a beating, because that's all you are going to get." Ken flicked his hands and two shinobi throwing stars dropped into his palms. "Let's go water demon."

Amaya spun her staff, it's chain whipping around her like it's namesake. "The only beating that will happen here is your own." She changed the movement of her staff and the crescent blade shot forward at Ken.

Ken smacked the blade away with blades palmed in his hand, and smiled.

Keitaro ducked and weaved through the coiling chains and hit Amaya hard in the stomach.

Amaya fell to the ground in a heap and didn't move.

Keitaro breathed a sigh of relief. "The way you were talking Ken, I thought we'd be in more troub…" Keitaro's statement trailed off into a scream as a water-like tendril of ki wrapped about his legs and threw him across the roof.

Ken caught the flying landlord and looked up as Amaya rose on a tower of water ki, her eyes glowing ice blue. "We are in trouble." He threw his shinobi stars and both shattered against a barrier of supper-compressed steam. "In fact, in the words of Bender, we're boned."

---

The ring of metal on metal sounded as Hotaru and Sora locked weapons.

"You are strong for your age." Sora grinned.

Hotaru threw her opponent back and attack again. "Whatever. I'm going to make you pay for taking advantage of everyone here." She glanced to the side to see Sarah, Moriko and Haruka triple teaming Saburo. Seta took to the roof to help deal with Amaya. That left Kanako, Su, Kitsune, and Nyamo to protect Shinobu. But where in the hell was Naru? In Hotaru's mind, those four should be enough for the job, but she really didn't know about these enemies. She should just take Sora out of the picture as quickly as possible and help out with the others.

Sora dodged the attack and brought _Kunpuu_ down towards Hotaru's skull.

The black form of the Hina Blade darted out and stopped the blow from reaching its target. Motoko forced the staff backwards and press forward with her own attack.

"What are you doing?!" Hotaru demanded as dashed back to the forefront of the duel. "I said this one is mine! I'm taking her down alone!"

Sora laughed. "You're not that strong, little girl." She spun her staff and caught Hotaru in the ribs. "But you're welcome to try."

Hotaru stumbled, but maintained her attack, and sliced Sora's arm. "I'm just getting started."

Sora grabbed at her arm as the thick leather sleeve of her coat fell to the ground. A line of blood raced down her arm and puddled in the lump of leather now on the floor. Her eyes narrowed on the younger girl. "Now you've pissed me off." He rushed forward and rammed her staff into Hotaru's belly. "Although I will give you some credit before I kill you." Sora lifted the younger girl on her staff high into the air. "You're the second person in all my battles to ever draw my blood." Sora brought her staff crashing down and threw the younger girl across the room.

Hotaru reacted with a mixture of instinct and training. She reached out and caught her opponent's jacket collar with the hilt of her right blade. At the same moment she used just enough of her chi to right herself in midair, and landed on her feet just behind Sora. She then tapped her ki and hurled the silver haired fighter into the far wall.

Sora summoned her chi and a whirlwind of energy caught her just before she impacted with the wall. She dropped to the floor and looked at her opponent in a new light.

Hotaru smirked. "What was that about killing me? _Onii-chan_ may be a goof off at times, but he's taught me well. It's going to take a lot more than what you have to finish me off."

Sora smirked. "Not to steal you're little phrase but, I'm just getting started as well." She spun her staff quickly in Hotaru's direction, creating an even larger whirlwind than the one she had created a moment earlier. She smiled as the young girl attempted to stand her ground against her raging winds. "You will die at _Kunpuu's_ winds as countless others have fallen!"

Hotaru fell victim to the winds that battered her body and sent her flying back. Yet when she collided with into something, it didn't hurt as bad as she thought it would. She looked up to see Motoko helping to hold her in place.

"I can understand your need to fight alone." Motoko nodded toward Sora. "But this is my fight as well, and this is no time for bravado. Let me help you."

For a moment Hotaru nearly refused her, but then smiled and nodded. "The warrior is strongest when his body is one." She murmured.

Motoko blinked in confusion. "_Nani_?"

Hotaru shook her head. "Something _onii-chan_ taught me." She braced herself against the winds and brought her short swords to bear. "Just be ready to move when I give you an opening." Hotaru began to spin her weapons in opposing directions, resulting in small sparks each time that the blades connected. "I haven't done this in actual combat yet, but _Hikari_ and _Enten_ have never let me down before."

Motoko looked on nervously, waiting for her chance to strike. "What exactly are you going to do?"

Hotaru smiled. "Sora isn't the only one who can create storms, but mine are a lot more dangerous." Her ki and chi began to twine about her swords, heating them to a red-hot glow. Hotaru's smile grew as tornado of flames erupted from her position and overpowered Sora's winds. "Winds fan and feed the fires, a firestorm is far deadlier than an ordinary windstorm Sora!"

Sora was thrown back as the fiery attack hit her. She looked up just in time to see Motoko descending upon her.

Motoko brought her sword down and her ki went crashing into her opponent. "Evil Cutting Blade Second Form!" The blast hit the younger girl full in the chest forcing her further back. The resulting explosion caused the roof to fall and bury the silver haired girl.

Hotaru walked up next to Motoko looking down at the wreckage where Sora had just lain. "Nice work, let's go help the others." The girls turned and began to walk away. Suddenly, the debris that had been covering Sora exploded out. Hotaru and Motoko dropped into defensive stances and swatted the debris away with their swords.

As the debris settled, Sora rose from the ashes left by Hotaru's unexpected attack. The remains of her burnt and tattered trench coat fell to the ground as the winds she generated carried her off the ground. She wiped the blood from her brow and spit the blood from her mouth. She glared at the two young women. "You want to play rough? I can do that too."

Motoko swallowed hard. "I think we're in trouble."

Hotaru looked at her dumbfounded. "You think?!" She pushed Motoko out of the way as Sora literally flew forward on her winds to attack them.

The two element-wielding fighters crashed through the neighboring wall. That was the last thing Motoko saw as the world went black.

---

Sarah ducked beneath the swirling attack of Saburo's nunchaku and hit him again in the stomach. "So you're a big, bad, avatar?" Sarah laughed as she dodged another electric attack. "I was expecting so much more from you, but you're not even remotely challenging."

Saburo grunted as Moriko kicked him in his side. "Big talk when you have three on one!"

Haruka landed a strong left cross punch to Saburo's jaw making his head spin. "Sorry, we know the histories as well. We're not going to allow you the chance to do as your ancestors did."

Sarah slid beneath the Avatar's guard and hit him again in the stomach. As her target doubled over in pain she brought her knee up into his nose. "If I had know you'd be this easy, I'd have got to help with the water woman. At least she put up a fight."

Saburo allowed his ki and chi to buy him some time. Electricity exploded out of his body with the force of a localized warhead, and sent his opponents rocketing away from him. He smiled as he listened to his targets screaming in pain as their muscles contorted under the electrical overload. He knew he wasn't as strong as his siblings, yet, but he was certainly capable of standing against these people on his own. He made his way back to the first room he had been in where his original target should still be waiting. "It's time to go now little girl."

Kanako pushed Shinobu into the secret passage behind Su. "Kitsune! Nyamo! Go with them, while I deal with this little kid." She watched as her two friends entered the passage and disappeared from sight.

Saburo watched as well. "You know that will only by them a few minutes at most. Why even bother?"

Kanako assumed an offensive stance. "Because I think it's fun." She sprinted forward and buried her right fist into Saburo's already bruised abdomen. "That and I really don't like you."

Saburo couldn't avoid her speedy attack entirely, but he did manage to take a step backward and that was all he needed. Those few extra inches transformed what could have been a deciding blow from Kanako into an excruciating, but bearable, pain. He reached down and grabbed her wrist. "Do you know what's so nice about being the Avatar of Lightening?"

Kanako lashed out for another punch, and fell to the ground as electricity crackled over her body.

Saburo smiled and released the black haired woman's now limp arm. "Even the smallest touch from my power can send a fatal voltage into the human body." He walked over to where the hidden passage lay and smashed open the small covering with his nunchaku. He smiled as he crawled into the dark passage. "Now I understand what Sora means when she says it's time to play. I just love cat and mouse games." He rounded the corner and promptly fell into one of the passages many pit fall traps. "Damn it!"

---

Shinobu crawled out of the passage exit in Su's room. "Did we get away?"

Su looked out into the hallway as though on stake out. "Nobody knows these passages like Sarah and I do. We should have at least bought some time."

Nyamo tumbled out of the hole in the wall and made a comment.

Shinobu shook her head. "I don't know why they're here, it's clear that I'm the one they want. Maybe if I go with them…"

"Don't even finish that sentence Shinobu." Kitsune admonished as she sealed the tunnel door. "They get you, they'll kill you. The leader lady said as much."

"But maybe if I go you all will be left alone." Shinobu insisted.

Su went over to a large tree in her room and pushed back some of the leaves, revealing a hidden keypad. "I don't think so Shinobu." Su punched in her access code and a large panel opened in her floor. A display case of weaponry rose up with a hiss of steam from the new opening. "I've been saving these for my final battle with Tama-chan, but I'd say this is a good excuse to break them out early!" With that she hoisted out a large ray gun looking weapon with the words "BFG 9999" inscribed on the side. "These ought to level the playing field a bit!"

Kitsune reached in and grabbed a slightly smaller version of Su's weapon. "Yeah now we'll last a minute instead of thirty seconds."

Nyamo and Shinobu looked into the weapon case.

Nyamo said something in English to Shinobu.

Shinobu nodded her head. "I don't really like guns either."

"You'll like being dead even less." Su sighed as she handed each girl a small pistol.

Kitsune looked over at Su. "How come your so serious all of a sudden?"

Su grinned. "I can die, or let any of you guys die, before you all witness my amazing triumph over Tama-chan in battle!"

The three other girls sweat dropped.

Shinobu walked over to the door and peaked out. "It looks clear, lets go find the others."

Kitsune grabbed the younger girl. "Look, I know you want to help, but you are the one in trouble here. So that means we need to find a safe place for you to wait this out."

Shinobu shook her arm free of the older woman's grip. "I'm so tired of running away from everything and letting everyone else fight my battles. I know I'm in danger, but so are the others by protecting me. I can't just walk away." She straightened herself and ducked out into the hallway. "I'm going to go help the other." She ran off down the hall toward the steps to the roof.

"_Kuso_!" Kitsune ran after her. "Who'd have ever thought that Shinobu would be the one to get us all killed.

Su grinned at Nyamo. "Shall we?"

Nyamo nodded nervously and together they raced into the battle.

---

Ken crashed into the roof and coughed up blood. His favorite leather jacket was but a memory. His clothing hung off his body in tattered shreds as a result of Amaya's staff blade. Still, he rose again. He saw Keitaro and Seta covering for him, and though not unscathed, they were less worn looking than he was. Of course, that had been his plan all along. Keitaro and Seta were exceptional fighters, as leaders of clans should be, but they didn't have the same durability that he had. So he made use of that durability by making himself the target of Amaya's most devastating attacks. "If only…"

Keitaro looked back as Ken charged Amaya yet again. He couldn't figure out how Ken was still standing, but he was glad that he was. Keitaro held fast to Amaya's chain, temporarily immobilizing her. He allowed himself a small smile as Seta and Ken nailed her with simultaneous roundhouse kicks to the chest. Keitaro then gave the chain a sharp tug and managed to wrench the staff from Amaya's hands.

Seta, seeing the opening, followed up with a series of deadly punches that knocked her further off balance.

Ken sensed the build up of energy around Amaya. "Seta! Get back!"

Amaya let out a cry and wave of steam enveloped Seta.

Seta screamed and fell as his skin began to blister from the intense heat before passing out from the pain.

Ken mumbled a series of curses that would make even the most hardened of military men blink in surprise.

Keitaro came up along side his friend and ally. "Now what?"

Ken shrugged. "We keep fighting?"

Keitaro fought the urge to hit the blonde man. "I was hoping that you had a bit more specific plan."

"Well I don't!" Ken yelled as he charged Amaya. "Just keep hitting her until we wear her down! Don't give her a chance to recover!"

Keitaro sighed. "We who are about to die…" He charged in again for another attack. Yet as he was about to land the blow Ken pushed him aside. Keitaro looked up to see Ken wrapped in a curtain of steam.

Amaya laughed. "What will you do now little Urashima? Your friends beaten and broken, and left on your own, what will you do?"

Keitaro stood and rush to try and pull Ken from the steam attack. Yet the barest touch of the curtain was enough to bubble the skin on his fingers, and could pass no further. He turned as Amaya screamed. And saw the most unbelievable sight he could imagine.

Shinobu hadn't even been aware of her movements. In the space of a second after seeing Ken being tortured she had grabbed Su's gun, taken aim, and fired straight into the back of the black haired woman. If not for the smoking gun in her hand she never would have believed that she was the one to do such a thing.

Ken stood on shaky legs. "Thanks for the help."

Keitaro looked at the tanned man in confusion. "You're not burnt at all."

Ken nodded and began to walk toward Amaya. "A chi barrier of stronger will… can negate such an attack…it just leaves me a little winded to concentrate one so fast." He bent down and checked for Amaya's pulse. "She's alive, but she should be out for a while after that hit." He stood, easier now. "Let's find the others."

The roof then exploded as two tornados, one of wind and one of fire, erupted through from the lower levels of the building. At the center of their respective tornados hovered Sora and Hotaru.

Ken swallowed hard. "This isn't good."

Kitsune looked between the aerial standoff and Ken. "Why? It looks like Hotaru is about to win."

Keitaro shook his head. "No, I can see it too. Hotaru doesn't have the combat experience that Sora seems to. Hotaru is just about on empty, she's used up her ki too quickly."

Ken nodded. "I have to…" He didn't get the chance to finish as he watched Sora launched a final attack that sent Hotaru falling back to earth. The fire tornado sputtered out and Hotaru felt the full force of gravity as she slammed into the roof with a sickening thud.

Sora touched down beside the fallen girl and gave her a powerful kick in the ribs. "Looks like I win." Sora spat at the fallen girl. She turned and saw Shinobu. "Time to collect my prize." With a burst of her ki winds she dashed towards her target. Yet as she neared for the disabling strike, Hotaru appeared again.

Hotaru pushed Shinobu out of harms way and took the full brunt of the attack.

"You stupid little fool." Sora sneered. "Why won't you die!"

Hotaru smiled weakly. "She's my friend, and my family. And I'll be damned if I let you touch her."

Sora's lip curled in anger. "Then be damned!" She pushed the small girl to her knees and raised her staff high over her head before cracking it across her back. "I'll leave you just enough alive to watch as I take your friend from you!"

Ken raced to his little sister's aid, but was too late as the staff fell. Once. Twice. Three times. But as the fourth blow came he felt it. He barely had time to react as he gathered the others and concentrated his energies into a massive barrier shield just as Hotaru erupted into a fireball.

Keitaro looked up as the light died away, or rather lessened. He gasped at what he saw.

Hotaru stood holding Sora high into the air by the throat with a single hand. Sora clawed at the death grip that held her, and Hotaru squeezed tighter. At last Sora stopped moving, and Hotaru tossed her aside as though she was nothing more than a sack of flour. She then turned her sights on the barrier that shielded the other tenants, and lashed out against it.

Ken held the barrier in place as a torrent of flames cascaded harmlessly around them. "Keitaro, take the others and go."

Keitaro blinked. "Where?"

Ken shook his head. "Anywhere safe and far away from here."

Kitsune sat up from where Ken had roughly dropped her in his haste to collect everyone. "I thought you said she was out of energy!"

Ken's barrier wavered. "Can we discuss this later please!" He focused further and pushed his chi barrier back against the flames until it collided with their source. Ken watched as his little sister bounced off his shield and landed at the far end of the roof. His barrier fell, and he saw her clearly.

Hotaru was no longer herself, her aura was scrambled. Her eyes glowed red with the fire that consumed her as did her now red hair. Her ki whipped about her, making her look as though she were on fire. But all of this didn't scare Ken. What scared him was that he couldn't sense her chi. Her mind, her conscious mind anyway, was gone.

Ken looked a back to see the others still staring at Hotaru in shock, and the rest of the household, in various states of recovery, joining them on the roof. "Perfect…" Was all he could mutter.

Moriko stopped as she saw Hotaru. "_Onii-chan_?"

Motoko looked at the younger girl. "_Nani_?!"

Moriko shook her head. "That power feels just like _onii-chan's_!" She raced forward, only to be stopped by Ken. "Let me go!"

Ken looked at her. "You know what has happened here. Don't be foolish, and stay here." He stepped away and neared Hotaru. "All of you need to leave now!" He called back. He faced off against Hotaru and neither moved. "I know you're in there sis. Come on back."

Hotaru opened her mouth, but all that emerged was an unintelligible hiss.

"It's ok Hotaru." Ken kept his voice low and even, he didn't want to frighten what ever this thing was until his sister was back in control of her body. "You're stronger than this Hotaru, pull it back in. Take control again."

Hotaru let out a cry and convulsed. Then her eyes narrowed on Ken.

Ken's eyes widened and he barely managed to block her strike as she suddenly appeared before him. "_Kuso_!" They exchanged blows for a time, and Ken realized that he was fighting a losing battle. He was already tired from the fight with Amaya, he wouldn't be able to keep this pace forever. Eventually, his body would give out completely. But perhaps if he could stall Hotaru long enough for the others to get away, maybe he would then be able to escape and find a more permanent solution. "Or I'll just be killed outright." He thought miserably as he and Hotaru grappled with one another. He could feel his skin burning, but fought through the pain. Suddenly, Hotaru was flying down away his position. He turned to see the three Urashimas cradling their burn fists. "What the hell are you doing! Run away!"

Kanako punched Ken in the head. "Your welcome."

Ken was about to reply when he saw Hotaru returning ready to attack, and was abruptly stopped by a double team flying kick from Seta and Sarah.

Sarah pointed a finger at Ken. "Don't think that I'm doing this for your sake dork! I'm just doing a favor for Shinobu!"

Hotaru stood and cupped her hands and gathered her ki before firing a wall of flame at the young blonde girl.

Su and Kitsune jumped into the path of the flame with their BFG 9999 and returned fire. The two beams collided with the flame and locked the three combatants in an inverted tug of war.

"We can't do this forever!" Warned Su. "The power cores will over heat! So if anybody would like to help maybe?!"

Motoko's ki blast scored a direct hit into Hotaru's side sending her over the edge of the roof.

Ken looked at everyone in disbelief. "I appreciate the assist but, are you all stupid?! Run!"

Shinobu stepped forward. "I don't want to run anymore."

"I can understand that but…" Ken insisted.

Hotaru blasted up from the lower floors on a pillar of flame and headed straight for Shinobu with a fearsome wail.

Ken tackled his sister as she came up fast, but rather than falling to the ground. Hotaru increased her power and rose high into the air. Wreathed in flames, Hotaru kicked her brother and he fell to the roof. He looked up to see Hotaru descending quickly, too quick for him to dodge, and the others were to far to help him. He lowered his head. "I am sorry everyone."

---

A few minutes ago 

Moriko stepped back to the others as Ken walked toward the flaming girl.

Kanako observed the situation. "What has happened? It feels like the night we all had that strange nightmare."

Moriko nodded. "When a _rei_ awakens it can have that effect."

"A _rei_?" Asked Keitaro. "But _rei_ is the energy of the spirit, one part of the warrior."

Moriko nodded again. "But in most it is dormant, Hotaru awakened hers somehow. But now she can't control it. The rampant power has overtaken her chi, her very mind, just as the legends say."

"And that means what exactly?" Demanded Haruka.

Moriko looked away as Hotaru and Ken began exchanging attacks. "It is akin to giving powers of god to the most simple of feral animals." She turned and began to walk away. "She will destroy everything and anyone in her path until her power consumes her entirely and destroys her."

Shinobu looked on as Moriko walked away. "Where are you going?"

Moriko didn't look back. "I have no wish to die this day, Ken is trying to buy us time. The least I can do for him is not let his death be in vain." She paused at the stairs. "I suggest you all do the same."

"Screw you!"

Everyone was shocked by Shinobu's outburst.

Shinobu glared at the girl. "The least you can do? He stood up for you when Sora first arrived, when you knew why she was here! And now you just walk away!?"

Moriko turned and gave a sad nod. "There is nothing else I can do."

Shinobu looked back at the dueling siblings, then to the others. She saw the same looks of defeat upon their faces. Shinobu nodded. "Fine." She began to walk out to where Ken and Hotaru fought.

Keitaro smiled. "Well, I suppose we can't let it end like this." He followed Shinobu's lead.

Kanako and Haruka exchanged glances and nodded. Keitaro was the heir and leader of their clan, and although he would never order them to fight if they didn't want to, he had made his decision and they would follow him.

Seta, being the dutiful husband that he is, followed Haruka and was in turn followed by Sarah.

Motoko followed next.

Su dragged Nyamo into the fight as though it was the latest in VR entertainment rather than a deadly threat.

At last only Kitsune and Moriko remained.

"I see you still in control of your senses."

Kitsune laughed. "No, I'm probably not." She turned and began to follow the others.

Moriko looked on in confusion. "Why do you all throw your lives away in meaningless fighting?"

"For all the crap that Ken and I have pull on each other, he's still a good guy." Kitsune stopped and looked over her shoulder. "I'd feel like crap if he died while I sat around doing nothing. Who knows? Maybe with all of us here we'll find a way to save them both."

Moriko watched as Kitsune ran to catch up to the others. "_Baka_, every single one of them. I wish you luck, but I will pray for your souls when you are gone." She turned away after whispering her goodbye.

She felt _Genseiri's_ handle pulse against her back, but ignored it. She knew the truth now. Kenji had been consumed by his own rampaging _rei_. _Genseiri's_ pulse was just the final dregs of his chi from so long ago. "_Onii-chan_ can never come back now." Then she felt something unexpected. Her katanas began to pulse.

Moriko looked up and saw that Ken had taken to the air with Hotaru. Both were entwined in the flames the girl created. Moriko held up her swords toward them and the blades began to pulse stronger. "Are they reacting to Hotaru's _rei_? Or is there something more?" She gasped as Hotaru grounded Ken with a strong kick, and the katanas pulsed again. She watched as Ken looked up and awaited his sister's deathblow. She wasn't sure why, but she knew that she couldn't let that happen.

---

Ken looked up to see Moriko protecting him, and blinked in surprise.

"You just going to sit there all day?" Moriko asked angrily as she managed to throw Hotaru back.

Ken stood. "Thank you for saving me Moriko." He looked down as he felt the pulse of ki from her katanas. He then looked up as Hotaru prepared to attack again. "Now please hand me _Kedou _and _Akkanka_ so that I can return the favor."

"How do you know the names of my swords?" Moriko asked as she handed them over.

Ken closed his eyes and shuddered as he gripped the blades. "It has a long time…" He turned away to prepare for his counter attack.

"Wait a minute." Moriko gripped Ken's arm. "You didn't answer my question."

Ken turned. "Isn't it obvious?"

Moriko gasped as she saw his eyes. One was as black as _Akkanka's_ sheath the other as white as _Kedou's_ sheath. "But how…"

Ken turned and faced the now charging Hotaru. "Sorry _imouto_." He raised the two katanas and gently brought them down. Two blasts of opposing ki of massive proportions raced out and smashed Hotaru to the ground. She lay still after that and her hair and eyes returned to their normal color. Ken sighed as he resheathed his swords and fell to his knees. "Now I know how my bike felt the other night. I'm drained."

"That's all I needed to hear."

Ken looked down as the voice arrived through the roofing before being thrown aside by a large explosion of electricity. He looked up to see Saburo standing triumphantly over him. Ken glanced around to see that the others had been overcome by the intense voltage and all were unconscious.

Saburo smiled. "Admittedly, Sora's and Amaya's defeats throws a wrench in the works, but I still got what I came for." He hoisted Shinobu over his shoulder, followed by his two sisters. "I hope you enjoy the view of your girlfriend, because it's the last you'll ever see of her."

Ken struggled to stand as Saburo darted away with inhuman quickness. His body however, could take no more, and the world went black around him.

---

The leader of the _Kokuei_ smiled, not that it could be seen beneath the long hood over his face. "You have done well my son. It would appear that I have overlooked your usefulness."

Saburo beamed. "May I take Kenji's name now?"

The cloaked leader shook his head. "A single battle does not win a war. Such a title will require further proof of your abilities. However, you are well on your way to reaching that status."

Saburo smiled, though less happy this time. "Of course father."

"Have Amaya and Sora regained consciousness yet?" The leader asked.

"Not yet father."

The leader nodded. "I see. Very well, dismissed." He turned and entered the adjoining room. "So how is our guest?"

A second hooded figure appeared from the shadows. "She still sleeps My Lord."

The leader looked down at the young girl with blue hair on the small futon. "She is untrained, but she is a prime candidate for what we need is she not?"

The subordinate nodded. "Yes, she is. Shall I prepare her?"

The leader nodded. "_Hai_, Amaya's actions will undoubtedly bring our target here in search of the girl. I want her ready by tomorrow evening."

"Such a hasty procedure could leave her… damaged, My Lord." Responded the second man.

"Does that really matter son?"

The second man lifted the small girl as though she weighed nothing at all. "No father, I suppose it doesn't. I will begin at once."

Good? Bad? Other? Drop a review please! I want to hear what you think.

A/N: Long…I know. Nearly double what I usually do but I hope you enjoyed. I commented to a friend the other day that this story is like the Hulk on steroids, it just keeps getting bigger. Yet at last, I see light at the end of the tunnel. Don't ask me exactly how many chapters to go, because this monster I've created has a mind of it's own it seems at times, but we are indeed nearing the end.

Now the reason I told you all that, I'M STUCK ON THE ENDING!! I don't know if I should make it happy all around, or give it more of a traditional anime bittersweet ending? I hadn't originally planed to make a multi-ending story, and truth be told, I don't want to now. Yet at the same time both ideas could work, resulting in my being stuck. So, if anyone has ideas, send'm my way!

Thanks again for reading! 'Till the next, live well all.

Name meanings:

Hotaru – firefly

Hikari – light

Enten- blazing heat or, scorching sun

Kedou – influencing (a person) for good

Akkanka – evil influence

Kenji- Strong second son (did I do this one already? I forget…)


	17. Rescue and Betrayal

A/N: Working sucks. Don't get me wrong; I have fun where I work…most of the time, but the whole concept of working to get money bugs the hell out of me. There should be a system or something that just gives money to slackers like myself who don't want to spend the whole summer working. Yeah, I know what you're all thinking, but a guy can dream. Anyway, that's the reason this chapter took so long to get up; I was working a lot.

To walkswithwraiths and M.Blade: Thanks much for the support with the beta reading! I decided to wait on the second half of what I was going to do here for the next chapter. It just felt rushed and I want to work it a bit more before posting.

I guess that's it for now. Hope you all enjoy! And please review!

Love Hina: Healing Hearts

Disclaimer: I own nothing but my own characters. Love Hina is Ken Akamatsu's.

Chapter Seventeen: Rescue and Betrayal

A man sat alone atop a cliff, and stared down into the valley. At the far edge of the valley was a cave. Just before that cave was a ring of men, all wielding weapons. That cave was where he needed to be.

He ran through the plan again in his head, it hadn't changed since he had reviewed it four seconds ago, but the repetition would help to keep his mind clear if things became to heated in the excitement of what would happen next. He stood and pulled on the small leather strap beneath his trench coat. He felt the secondary straps tighten about the weapons concealed within the leather coat. He could not risk the sound of his tools clinking against one another to reveal him as he neared his targets.

He made his way down the cliff quickly and cautiously, making certain to always stay concealed within the shadows. A difficult task indeed, seeing as there was a full moon this night. None-the-less, in moments he was on the valley floor and darting through the forest brush along the edge of the clearing. There were a few defenses along the perimeter, but they were easily side stepped. In minutes he was within striking distance of the sentries.

He flexed his gloved hands, feeling the blades within the protective fabric extended. He made sure not to allow the one-inch blades that now rested at the end of each of his fingers to scrape against the others. He snuck up silently behind the first guard and drew a line across the man's jugular. The assassin caught his victim as he fell and dragged him back into the shadows of the forest. He watched a moment as his victim clawed at his own throat, trying to force oxygen to his lungs. He had no desire to see this man's futile attempts, and turned to approach his next target.

At last he entered the cave. Noting the hard stone of the floor he removed his shoes so as not to give away his position. He padded silently down the corridor navigating the way effortlessly despite the fact that there were no lights, either electric or otherwise. As he moved deeper into the cave, he offered a silent prayer for the souls of the twelve men who would not be returning home to their families this night.

---

Ken somehow managed to open his eyes, but that was about it. He hurt everywhere. Even keeping his eyes open was painful, but he managed to do that because he could watch the blue haired goddess that was now tending to his wounds. "I really screwed up this time, didn't I, Shinobu?"

The girl didn't say anything, but simply changed his bandages.

Ken nodded, and immediately regretted doing so as lightening bolts of pain bounced through his brain. "Yeah, I suppose I did. Tried to do right by you all, and still ended up putting you all in danger."

The girl turned away and returned with fresh bandages and iodine.

Ken winced as the antiseptic entered his cuts. He roused what little ki and chi he had left at the moment and directed it towards hastening his recovery. He sighed as his wounds began to heal at a much faster pace than they had before. "I wish I could have foreseen Amaya's raid. I know it's no excuse for my actions, but I didn't see that attack coming until it was already here."

"You knew that this was going to happen?" Shinobu asked in perfect English.

Ken sat upright as much as his body would allow. He watched as Shinobu's mid length blue hair grew nearly a foot in a second and turned black to the point it was nearly purple. Her pale skin darkened as though she had spent her life living at the beach. Her violet eyes darkened as shade further. "Nyamo?" He questioned aloud and unbelieving.

That was when it all came back to him.

"Shinobu!"

Ken sprang to his feet despite the cries of protest issued by his muscles.

Nyamo gently pushed him back down. "You're in no condition to go anywhere right now."

Ken turned to her. "You don't understand, the longer that Shinobu is with them the more danger she is in!"

Nyamo blinked as Ken addressed her in English. "I see you understand me, that will make this easier." She watched as Ken tried to stand again, and again pushed him back. "What do you intend to do?"

Ken turned away.

"As I thought." Nyamo turned to find a fresh bandage for the cuts on Ken's shoulder. She blinked as she saw they were already beginning to scar over. "That's creepy."

Ken rotated his shoulder, eliciting a series of pops and crunches that made his caretaker shudder. "I see what you mean…" He stood, more sure of himself this time. "I can track them, but I can't do much more than that, yet." He tightened his fist. "But I'll be recovered enough by tonight."

The door to Ken's room slid open and Keitaro entered. "I doubt that, but it's good to see you up and about." He turned and glanced in the direction of the living room. "I managed to convince the others to wait downstairs…but they want an explanation." Keitaro paused. "Frankly, so do I. You haven't exactly been straight with me either."

Ken nodded sadly. "Lead the way K-man. Time to face the music."

They made their way slowly to the living room. Keitaro entered first, followed by Ken, and lastly Nyamo. The other tenants all focused there attention on Ken.

"Everyone…"

That was all Ken managed to say before Moriko leapt out of her chair and slapped Ken across the face. "How could you?"

Ken watched in silence as the tears ran down her face before she ran off. He hung his head in shame. He knew he should go after her, try to explain himself to her, but he felt like a fraud and knew she would see him for what he was. The jolt of a second blow to the face roused him from his thoughts.

"That was for lying to us all." Naru hissed as she prepared a second attack. "And this is for getting Shinobu mixed into all of this!" She hit Ken again as hard as she could. "And this is for locking me in the damn closet while we were under attack!"

Ken caught the third punch as it came towards him; he looked up to see the look of shock on Naru's face. "I'll accept the first two as punishment, but if you don't understand the reason I put you in that closet, well…_Naru-san no baka_."

Naru fumed and struck out with her free hand. She gasped as he nimbly dodged her attack and watched as his fist raced toward her belly. "No!"

Ken stopped his attack mere millimeters from her body. "The Avatars won't stop because of your condition." He softened his expression. "I was just trying to make sure that the both of you were safe."

"Condition?" Kitsune asked.

"Both?" Wondered Keitaro.

"How did you know?" Naru asked as she backed down her attack from Ken.

Ken smiled. "I can hear the music."

"Music?"

Kanako nodded her head. "That explains the recent weight gain. It would appear that I will be an aunt soon." She turned to Ken. "Boy or girl?"

"Don't you dare tell her!" Naru yelled as she helped Keitaro, who had fainted after hearing the news, to his feet. "And what was that crack about weight gain?!"

"Aren't we all forgetting the real reason we're here?" Asked Haruka as she lit her cigarette. "We did just our asses kicked and Shinobu is missing."

Hotaru stood up and walked over to her brother. "I just need to see one thing first before we start in on all that." She stood in front of her brother and looked at him intently. "I can sense you now."

Ken blinked in slight surprise, then nodded. "The awakening of you _rei_ has raised your level of skill far beyond my own." He smiled. "I knew it would only be a matter of time before you surpassed me."

"Very touching." Haruka commented dryly. "Now can we move on?"

Motoko stared at Ken intently. "I, for one, would like an explanation from you."

Ken nodded. "You all do, I just wish I knew where to begin…"

"How about with who you really are?" Motoko prompted.

Ken smiled. "If only I knew…I can tell you who I was, but to be honest I'm not sure who I am at this point."

Motoko stood and drew the Hina Blade. "Enough with the double talk! Tell us the truth."

Ken looked about the room, and saw that the other had similar looks of determination on their faces, and sighed. "_Hai_, Ashura Kenji is the name I was born with. I am the second son of Ashura Kyouaku, leader of the Ashura Clan. I also once went by the title of the Avatar of Spirit." He paused and let that information sink into everyone's thoughts.

Hotaru was the first to react. "Then I'm an Avatar too, right?"

Ken nodded. "Of fire."

"Then you are our enemy." Stated Seta as he began to move forward.

Haruka gently restrained him. "Even if he is, was, an Avatar he saved you from a painful death in the water Avatar's steam attack, so we owe him at least the benefit of the doubt."

"I owe him nothing." Seta began. "Because of him…"

"Because of me Sarah was nearly an orphan." Ken finished.

The others stared at him in shock.

Ken nodded. "I see you remember the fight as well, and the rest of you must now know before we continue any further."

"Know what?" Asked Kitsune in a puzzled tone.

"Eight years ago there was an attack launched by the Ashura Clan to try and preempt the Gathering." Ken paused and looked at the floor. "Keitaro, Naru, Motoko, Sarah, it was in that attack that my brother and I took your families from you."

The room went deathly silent.

"Mother…Father…" Motoko whispered.

"Mama…" Was the mumbled response from Sarah.

"Grandfather…" Keitaro's voice was low.

"Daddy…" Naru whispered.

Ken nodded, but said nothing.

Suddenly, Motoko leapt forward and buried her blade into Ken's shoulder. "You bastard! You killed them!"

Ken didn't move as his blood began to trickle down her sword. "I will accept any punishment you wish to give, but first we must save Shinobu."

"Why should we trust anything you have to say now?" Sarah demanded as she fought against Haruka's restraint.

Haruka took another deep drag of her cigarette. "Because we need him."

Su nodded. "I've been going over the data that my mecha-tamas were able to record of the battle. Ken's the strongest of us all. And being a former Avatar, he has further information that may allow us to discover a weakness to overpower them."

"But how do we know we'll be able to trust anything he says, let alone in battle?" Motoko asked as she pulled her sword from Ken's flesh.

Naru stood up. "I don't think I will ever forgive you for taking my father from me." She faced Ken. "But you tried to keep my child safe, so I'll trust you."

"Atonement." Keitaro stated without warning.

Naru turned. "_Nani_?"

Keitaro walked over to Ken and stood eye to eye with him. "You told me the other day that you are fighting as a way of atonement, to protect those you've wronged in the past. Is this what you meant?"

Ken nodded.

Keitaro nodded in return. "Alright, what's the next move then?"

Motoko felt her anger rise again. "Urashima! You can't be serious!"

"I am Motoko." The young landlord turned to his tenant and friend. "As the head of the Aoyama Clan, it is your choice what to do now. But I will fight along side Ken." He smiled. "If only for the fact that I don't want to see my friends hurt." He glanced over toward Naru. "Or my child living a life looking over its shoulder for all time."

"Well, that casts my vote." Kanako stated.

"Mine too." Seconded Haruka.

Seta and Sarah also reluctantly agreed. Slowly, the others followed suit.

Ken nodded. "Ok then. I have just one last thing to tend to before I start telling you everything I know." He turned toward the direction in which Moriko had run off, and left the room.

"What's he up to now?" Asked Kanako.

Hotaru sighed. "He needs to make things right with _onee-chan_."

---

She heard him coming. He wasn't even bothering to mask his presence, so she knew exactly where he was. She also knew that he would let her run if she wanted to, but that would only delay the inevitable. "Just come out already."

Ken separated himself from the shadows. "_Gomen nasai imouto_."

Moriko didn't turn to face him. "It was bad enough losing you in the incident, then _Genseiri's_ handle began to pulse. I knew then that you were alive, for the last six years I've known but no one would believe me." She turned, her face streaked with tears. "But when I actually find you again, you've changed so much I don't even recognize you, and you don't say a word. How could you do that to me?"

"I am sorry Moriko." Ken took a few steps forward. "When I woke up in the hospital I wasn't sure who I could trust any more." He smiled. "I followed you for a time you know. I wanted to make sure that you and the others were safe. I'm happy to see that you haven't been turned like the others."

Moriko walked towards him until she could see clearly into his eyes. She reached out to touch his face. "You're a completely different person…the surgery must have cost you a fortune to change your appearance this much. It's no wonder I couldn't see you, but the eyes are the same."

Ken smiled. "I had no surgery _imouto_, this is a reminder left over from the incident."

Moriko blinked. "But how?"

"The only thing I can think of, is it is a gift from mother." Ken suggested. "Her family's gift of transformation must have been latent within me, and the incident triggered it. I haven't been able to return to my normal form since that day."

"This is incredible." The girl whispered before the next thought hit her. "You know your mother?" Moriko blinked in surprise again. "I never got to meet mine… I know we're all only half-siblings because of father's 'dream' but…" She trailed off. "What's she like?"

Ken smiled. "I've only met her once, while I was helping Seta in Molmol. But she was every bit as beautiful as I had imagined." His smile faded. "Unfortunately, my uncle was not pleased with the implications of my coming home. He gave Seta his permits for the sole purpose of having me leave the country."

"Implications?"

Ken smiled. "He was worried I'd challenge them for the throne."

Moriko shook her head. "I don't understand."

Ken rubbed his cheeks until a slight flush rose on his face and then pulled his hair back. "Heyas!"

Moriko nearly screamed as she looked into a total double of Su. "You're…"

Ken nodded and let his hair fall. "I'm an Ashura, but I'm also a Su. Kaolla is my cousin, but part of the promise I made with my uncle is that I won't tell her. Ever." He shrugged his shoulders. "The old man made a good choice with that one I suppose." He smiled playfully. "Makes sense since there is no family more spirited in the world than the Su's."

Moriko nodded. "And since she is family as well, you will try to protect her." She reached out and touched her brother's chest, instinctively tracing his scars. "Just like you used to protect us."

Now it was Ken's turn to be surprised. "You knew?"

"I could hear it on the leaves every time it happened." She handed her brother his katanas, which she had taken back while he slept before. "What do you say we go kick our father's ass?"

"I'll need a few more hours to recuperate." He wrapped his arm around her shoulder. "The others are waiting for information on how to take down our siblings." They walked back toward the Hinata-sou. "Want to help?"

---

"Amaya relies primarily on her chi, mind energy, for her attacks." Ken informed them. "Keep her distracted, give her more to think about that she can handle. She'll weaken and you'll be able to wear her down."

Moriko nodded. "Saburo is the complete opposite. He likes to use his body more, and he's impulsive. Goad him into making mistakes and use his own power against him. He'll be the easiest of the Avatars to defeat, as father never completed his training since he always seems to lose control of us eventually."

Ken frowned. "Sora however is a different story. She's the most balanced of the Avatars, and she loves to use strategy as much as she loves brute force. If you can, avoid her like the plague rather than confront her."

The others nodded.

"Alright, that just leaves how to get to the Clan's base." Moriko pulled out a map and laid it out on the table. She tapped the map in three different locations. "Each of these points is a cave that lead to a underground chamber…" She traced her finger along the map. "Here. From there you have to go back above ground. They valley that they use for training is nearly impossible to reach any other way because of either the mountains or the guard posts and traps. Even these points are heavily guarded as is."

The others nodded again, and rose to prepare to leave. They had been in this meeting for two hours now discussing different levels of training and what the might expect if the attacked the Ashura stronghold. It was time now to put everything into motion.

Ken rose and stopped them. "I just want to apologize to everyone."

Motoko glared at him icily. "Save it, we don't care."

Ken smiled sadly. "I don't mean about before." He reached into his pocket. "I mean for this." Without warning he pulled something from his pocket and shattered it against the floor. In seconds, smoke filled the room and dissipated just as quickly. Only Ken was still standing as the rest of the household snored softly.

He went up to his room and pulled open his closet. He changed quickly into his "work clothes", black jeans and a black long sleeve shirt. He tied a black bandana to his head and tucked his hair back into it. He placed his two swords at his hip and slipped into his long, black, leather trench coat. After that he returned to the living room. He smiled as the others slept.

"_Gomen nasai minna-san_, but this all happened because of me. I used the briefing as a cover so I could recuperate, but this fight is mine. I won't let any of you put yourselves in danger for my sorry sake." He turned away and pulled his hood over his head. "Good bye everyone, I'll make sure that Shinobu comes home, but I don't think I'll be so lucky."

Good? Bad? Other? Drop a note please? Or does no one care anymore?

A/N: Well, chap 18 should be along in a day or two as most was written to be right where this note is. That, and I have the next three days off. So (crosses fingers in hope) perhaps even 19 as well. It will all depend on how life treats me. That said, until the next, live well all!.


	18. Rescue and Betrayal, Part Two

A/N: One day on turn around time, not bad at all. I don't think I've done that since I first started this story. Anyway, since I did this so quickly, I don't have anything to say of any substance in little note. So, I'll be quick.

To Giman: Thanks for the review! I hope that "wow" was in the good sense, rather than the bad.

Thanks to everyone who has taken the time to read and reviewed up to this point, and if there are new readers here, welcome and thanks for taking the time to check this story out.

That's all! Hope you enjoy the story everyone!

Love Hina: Healing Hearts

Disclaimer: I own nothing but my own characters. Love Hina is Ken Akamatsu's.

Chapter Eighteen: Rescue and Betrayal, Part Two

The man smiled up at his captors as they pushed his bound form into the mud. If not for the fact that his eyes glowed black, I would have thought him the same as us. But he was not, he was Ashura, something I had been taught was not of this Earth.

_"You think that you have won?"_

_That is what he asked as Lady Aoyama as she stepped forward to deliver his sentence. This man was the leader of the Ashura Clan, he was the one who had lead us on this terrible chase that has brought us here to Kyoto, and left such carnage in his wake. But at last, we have caught this demon who holds such little regard for the rest of Japan's welfare._

_"We will return, stronger than ever before, and destroy you all."_

_That was his promise as Lady Aoyama raised her blade high into the air.  I watched, in a mixture of fear and anticipation, for this was my first time to be accounted as a participating member of my own clan. Lady Aoyama was calm and controlled, but I could feel her ki was troubled. Even a man such as this, she had reservations about putting to death. As fate would have it, she would not get the chance._

_"Aoyama-dono. Do not sully your blade with this man's blood."_

_My father stepped forward. It would seem that he too felt Lady Aoyama's hesitation._

_"This man has caused unspeakable hardships on your house, I would rather not see him haunt your most treasured of swords. Please allow me to carry out this task on your behalf."_

_Lady Aoyama lowered her blade and nodded for my father to step forward, though not without great thought. The Ashura leader's smile disappeared as my father stepped up to him. My father drew out his sword, and there was a hushed murmur in the gathered crowd as the meter of black steel became visible._

_"You will not, nor will any of the other clans, ever end our line. We will come back for you all."_

_The Ashura promised this again as the black sword fell upon his neck, and followed in an explosion of ki unlike any I had ever seen. As the dust settled I could see neither my father nor the Ashura, but watched as my father's sword fell to the ground and the blade planted itself into the earth. Dark and unnatural ki raced down the steel and into the earth. I first thought that the Ashura's spirit had been sealed away into the earth, but then the city of Kyoto began to burn._

_It was only with the help of Lady Aoyama's son that I was able to seal that destructive energy into my father's sword. I have taken the sword for my own now, though it is mostly for decoration. To even take the sword from its sheath is to risk being overtaken by the spirit of the Ashura leader my father executed. My clansmen have even renamed the sword in my honor, though in my heart I still believe it to belong to my father. _

_The other clans want the sword melted down and destroyed entirely, but I cannot do that. Not only for the sentimental value and the value as a spirit prison, but because I cannot shake the feeling that this sword will have a crucial role when the Ashura return. I can only hope that the histories can guide my kinsmen if I am no longer amongst the living when that time comes._

An accounting of The Gathering in Kyoto, Urashima Hina, 1562 

---

"Are you sure that this is not to much strain on your abilities my son?" Asked Kyouaku as he watched the ending of the procedure.

The second man stood away and nodded. "I will be fine, this connection is not meant to last long." He draped a black trench coat over the sleeping body next to him. "We should begin to make our final arrangements."

The leader of the Ashura nodded, and they left the room together.

---

Ken parked his motorcycle and headed up the mountain on foot. The foliage was too dense for him to continue on in any other manner. Even if he could have driven the rest of the way, he wouldn't have. He couldn't risk the chance that any guards in the area would have heard the engine and raised the alarm. After nearly a half hour of walking, he reached the summit of the cliff.

He sat down and stared into the valley. He sighed as he spotted his target, a small cave entrance. "It would have to be at the far side of the valley. And heavily guarded no less." He let his mind go over the plan from not long ago again, and told himself to remain calm.

Ken stood and tightened the leather strap that kept his katanas press firmly at his hip. The slightest clanking of metal would give him away for sure. He looked up into the sky, and a faint smile crossed his lips. "A hunter's moon…" He began to tap his foot as he studied the mountain for the safest path down. "Let the music take control…put your body in motion and let it all flow…"

He dashed down the mountain. All the while making sure to remain out of the moonlight. There were a few hairline traps at the very perimeter of the valley, but they were easy enough to avoid once you could see the trip wire. The pit falls traps were a little harder to spot, but not so much that he couldn't spot them while still meters away. After a few shot minutes of navigating around the defense systems he rested at the out skirts of the cave perimeter.

Ken pulled on the release string in his assassin gloves and flexed his hands. Ten blades at the end of each of his fingers were revealed from the protective fabric. He made sure to keep his fingers far enough apart to prevent any scraping and reveal himself. Waiting until the first guard came close enough to his current position, Ken raced out and drew a line across the man's jugular with one of the blades. He caught the unsuspecting guard as he began to fall and hauled him back to the underbrush. The man struggled to breath now, and Ken could not watch. He was tired of hurting people, but there was one person who meant more to him that anything, and he would do what he must to keep her safe. He quickly set about performing the same stealth strikes on the remaining eleven guards.

Once the men lay still, Ken removed his gloves. Now that the blades were exposed it was to great a risk to keep them on. He had treated the blades with the same sleeping agent that was used in the smoke bomb he had used his friends back at the dorm, though a much stronger dose. He couldn't risk accidentally infecting himself with it as well. The men would live, but they wouldn't be up and about for a good while. He offered a small prayer for them to forgive him what he had done, but quickly moved on. He entered the cave and his footsteps echoed loudly off the stone floor. He removed his shoes and was pleased that the ground was not too cold against his bare feet as he padded silently into the cave. He stretched out his senses as far as he dared, without risking giving away his own position.

Since there was no light of any kind, he couldn't actually see where he was going, but his abilities as the Avatar of Spirit allowed him to hear the voice of all living things. He heard those voices most commonly in song, and this cavern was alive with music. Some of the voices guided him along the dark path, but it was the other songs that caught his attention. They were the songs of the ancient power that flowed through this mountain, and the songs of one who was stealing that power away. But that would be an adventure for another time, for he was moving slowly higher, into a second valley.

Being so close to the other Avatars, be pulled back his senses to avoid detection. He concealed himself to the shadows and took in the surroundings in a mixture of awe and displeasure. "He recreated everything…" The Incident, as it had come to be known, had left the training facility in the Choshu Mountains completely destroyed. Yet here it was, in all its dark glory.

It looked very much like something you'd see at a museum. Since the Ashura lived in secret for the most part, they couldn't rely on out side help. The complex was built out of natural materials and one could easily get the feeling of being in a rural town from the feudal era of Japan. The complex spanned the entire enormous valley.

"Still," Ken thought silently. "This layout will make moving around easier since I more or less 'grew up' here." He looked around further and saw that the large campus style training theater was crammed with people of every age. Ken frowned and thought silently again. "There are too many here. Even after my years away, the clan should not have grown this big so quickly…" He narrowed his eyes and focused on some of the younger trainees. "Unless they've been recruiting runaways off the street to bolster their numbers." He reached under his coat and double-checked his supplies. Only five sleep bombs remained.

Ken's frown deepened. Striking to disable was more difficult to do than striking to kill, he'd have to try and save his bombs for the innocents that had nothing to do with the clan war but had nowhere else to go. The safest alternative was to avoid confrontation entirely. Just get in, get Shinobu, and get out. Ken slipped deeper into the shadows and moved into the camp. He moved quickly from sector to sector until he came to the final house. The place, or recreation of the place, he once called home.

"You there!"

Ken turned as the voice came from the side of the house. A young man that Ken didn't recognize stood wielding a long dagger. "_Kuso…"_ Ken muttered.

"Intruder!" The boy yelled as he charged wildly. "Intrud…"

Ken sidestepped the attack and wrapped his hand around the boy's face before slamming him into the nearby wall. It was too late however as the alarm was already raised. He drew back into the shadows again and ran for cover. That was when he realized that the complex wasn't the exact recreation he had thought it to be as he ran into a dead end. He looked around for a secondary escape, and found nothing but the shear walls. He flicked his wrists a few times and a number of throwing stars dropped into his hands. He then threw those stars into the shadowed portion of the wall until he had created a makeshift ladder. The first of his would be attackers rounded the corner as he flipped himself up onto the roof of the building and laid flat on his back.

"Where'd he go?" One of the mob members asked.

"How the hell should I know?!" Voiced a second.

"Well he can't have just vanished!" Yelled a third voice.

"Look! He made a ladder!" Yelled another.

Ken frowned as the voices below him began arguing and fighting one another to reach the ladder to come after him. He sighed and pulled one of is sleep bombs from his jacket before casually tossing it into the alley below. "Fire in the hole." He whispered with a hint of amusement. He looked over the side and saw a pile of bodies resting uncomfortably on the street and each other, before smiling. "Now, where were we?"

Ken raced across the rooftop and leapt down to the next small alleyway. Without the use of his ki and chi senses, he had to relay on his normal senses. But if he had learned anything in his training, the senses were easy to fool. He barely managed to dodge as the salvo of bladed instruments raced towards him. He returned the favor with a volley of his own throwing stars and heard a number of people scream as his weapons found their mark. He looked and saw that none of his attacks would lead to a fatality and raced out of the enclosed area.

"Out of the frying pan…" He rounded the corner and saw the entire complex personnel waiting for him in the center grounds. "And into the god-damned fire…" For a moment there was a tense stand off. The camp was so quiet that you could hear the dew fall from the blades of grass. And as the first bead of water fell, Ken made his move. He quickly tossed three of his remaining sleep bombs into the crowd and in seconds the bodies were on the floor. Still, the odds were one to at least five or six hundred. Ken gripped his swords and thumbed an inch of each blade from its sheath. But rather than the expected retaliation, the crowd fell back and parted as a single person in a black trench coat came forward.

Ken didn't release his grip on his swords but studied this new opponent intently. The lightness of the gait marked her as a woman. For a moment he thought Sora, but this woman was too short, and her aura was wrong as well. But one thing was clear, she was strong, nearly Avatar quality. He drew his swords and slowly released his energies; he couldn't take a chance with this one.

The woman pulled a sword as well, and charged forward to lock blades with Ken.

They exchanged blows for a few minutes and Ken realized that the others were beginning to move in on him as well. Ken pushed his first opponent back to block the attacks of the other clansmen. He looked around and saw so many faces, many he knew, but so be it. His blades glowed white and black and chi fired out into the crowd. All but the woman backed off as Ken turned.

He could only guess the thoughts going through their heads at the sight he must make. Concealed beneath his hood the couldn't see his face, not that they would have recognized him anyway, but those who had been around before the Incident would clearly remember _Kedou_ and _Akkanka_, and his mismatched glowing eyes. He smiled, his teeth illuminated by his white glowing eye. "I'm baaaack…" He sing-songed.

The woman raised her hand and signaled for all to attack.

Ken blocked the attacks with ease at first, but eventually shear numbers made even moving difficult. Suddenly, a path was cut open as a second black sword entered the scene. Ken stared at the Hina Blade. "Motoko! What in the hell…" He trailed off as he saw not Motoko, but Keitaro, standing at the ready.

Keitaro grinned. "Thought you might need a hand."

Another ki blast rocked the grounds as Motoko and Kanako entered into the mix.

Motoko pointed her sword, the newly re-forged Shisui, at Ken. "If you ever do that again, I'll kill you myself!"

"Agreed." Added Kanako.

Ken smiled at their words, but then frowned. "You all should not be here."

Kanako sighed. "Please don't start with the whole 'it's too dangerous' speech."

Ken nodded. "It is, but that is not what I meant. You should be asleep for at least another five hours."

Keitaro smiled. "You forgot to take Naru's pregnancy into account with the sleeping potion."

Ken blinked, than sighed. "Of course, extra mass and blood for the toxin to circulate through, resulting in a faster recovery time for Naru." Ken turned. "And she in turn woke all of you."

The others nodded.

The four friends turned to where the lone black-jacketed figure seemed to be staring at them.

Ken spoke first. "The others?"

Keitaro brought the Hina Blade around. "Coming from the other caves and planning to distract the Avatars and rescue Shinobu."

"They can't face the Avatars." Ken replied in a mater of fact tone.

"Don't underestimate them." Keitaro warned with a smile. "We were of guard before, now we're ready."

Kanako nodded. "That's why we're here."

Ken blinked and turned his cowled head toward her.

"We knew you'd get yourself into trouble." Motoko replied. "Anything concerning Shinobu makes you let your guard down. We'll deal with these fighters. You go find Shinobu so we can all leave this place."

Ken nodded. "As the head commands." He ran off into the complex in search of the young woman he cared for so.

Keitaro, Kanako, and Motoko, looked around and saw nothing but those who wished to see them dead.

"_Onii-chan_, you take the woman in black." Kanako suggested. "Motoko and I will handle the rest."

"You sure?" Keitaro asked uncertain. He knew that the two women together were a hard duo to beat, but the odds were still bad.

"We'll be fine Urashima." Motoko seconded.

The three fighters stood in a triangle back to back.

The woman in black raised her hand.

The mob rushed forward, and the fight began anew.

---

Sarah and Moriko darted around and around Saburo, hitting him at every opportunity. The youngest of the Avatars lashed out in an attempt to retaliate, but his attacks hit only air.

Sarah laughed. "Gotta do better than that slow-poke!"

Saburo grunted as his sister slammed the butt of her dagger into his stomach. "Clearly you don't remember our last encounter child!" His ki crackled to life as he released an enormous blast of electricity in all directions. Sarah and Moriko continued to circle around him completely unscathed. "_Nani!?_"

"Did you really think we'd fall for that same trick twice?" Sarah taunted as she round house kicked Saburo in the back.

Saburo grunted as he fell to the floor. "I don't understand."

Moriko placed _Genseiri's_ tip at the nape of Saburo's neck. Ki and chi flowed down the blade and long roots began to creep up through the floor and entwine about the boy's body. Moriko stood and looked down as her brother fought against his wooden shackles that held him to the ground. "Electricity requires a conduit to be useful." She pulled back her jacket sleeve revealing what looked like one of Su's therm-optic camouflage suits. "But if you can find the right insulation to stop it, it becomes useless." She hit her brother again, this time in the face, and knocked him cold.

Sarah looked around. "Where's Hotaru?"

Moriko looked around. "Probably looking for Shinobu…" She shook her head. "We don't have time for that now, we need to go help the others with Amaya."

Sarah nodded. "Let's go."

---

Hotaru was indeed looking for someone, but it wasn't Shinobu. She was looking for Sora. She knew that she shouldn't, that this could send everything to hell in a hand basket, but she couldn't stop herself. This was because she knew that even if the other two Avatars were defeated and they managed to find Shinobu and escape, Sora would be waiting for them at the exit fresh and ready while they were beaten and exhausted. It would be better to take the fight to her.

At the end of the hall she traveled, a shadow moved into the light. "I see that you too want a rematch."

"Sora." Hotaru dropped into an offensive middle stance and drew her swords. "This time, no interruptions."

Sora brought _Kunpuu_ forward and also took and offensive stance. "Yes, just you and I."

The tension in the narrow hallway was palpable as the auras of each fighter rose steadily. Outside their arena, something exploded, and they charged one another.

---

Haruka, Seta, Su, Kitsune, Naru, Sarah, Moriko and, off to the side, Nyamo, looked down at the fallen Avatar of Water.

"Guess he was right." Seta admitted as he tied the restraints to Amaya's wrists. "Divide her attention in too many directions and she can't maintain her power."

Haruka nodded, and pulled her cigarettes from her pocket. She threw them away as she realized they were too water logged to light up. "Seems that way." She turned to Naru. "You ok?"

Naru nodded. "Nyamo seems to have incredible reflexes, and she helped me stay out of the worst of it."

"And what did I do?" Kitsune asked in a hurt, but playful tone. "I seem to remember getting you out of the way a few times."

Su pulled out what looked like her old Tama-chan radar, except this one was labeled as the Shinobu-chan radar. "This way!" She called as she scampered down the hall. "Shinobu is at the far side of this place!"

The others sweat dropped as Su lead them into a dead end.

"I see that your inventions are as reliable as always." Sarah remarked dryly.

Su laughed nervously. "At least it didn't explode this time."

Seta sniffed the air. "Does anyone else smell smoke?"

Su quickly hid her radar behind her back. "Nope not me!"

The others sweat dropped again.

Haruka sighed. "Seems that we'll be looking for Shinobu the old fashioned way."

Nyamo turned and pointed down the hall before making a remark in English.

Seta nodded. "Nyamo says we should head this way."

Kitsune headed down the hall. "Well, I don't have a better idea, so why not?"

The group head in the direction of the complex center grounds.

---

Ken rounded the corner and again found no one. Seemed that all the guards were in the complex center grounds. He moved on quickly. He stretched out his senses again, his cover was blown anyway, so now it didn't mater to try and hide it. He could sense Saburo's aura being held in check by Moriko's aura. He could sense Amaya's aura, similarly restrained. He could sense Hotaru and Sora deadlocked in a contest of strength. But he could not sense Shinobu, nor could he sense his father. But it didn't matter, there was only one place that both of them could be.

He stood before the doors to his father's study, and felt his body break out in a cold sweat. He could remember this scene from six years ago. "Round and round we go…" He shook his head. "No, it will be different this time." He kicked open the door and walked into the room. "Where is she?!"

The empty room gave no answer.

Ken looked around. No dust was on the tables, so someone had been here recently. In fact everything was in immaculate condition, just as he remembered, except for the door at the rear of the room. He opened the door slowly and made his way inside. He brought up _Kedou_ to block a long katana as it fell towards him. "Getting slow old man." He spun and kicked his attacker in the gut. "Let's make this quick, ya?" He grabbed the man's wrists and forced him to drop the sword. He punctuated each word of his next question with a stronger grip on his father's wrist. "Where…is…Shinobu?"

The second man began to laugh. "So my son, you've returned at last. But you're as stupid as when you left."

Ken didn't have the chance to respond as he was struck from behind and tumbled across the floor. He rolled and stood quickly before taking a defensive stance. "Got a new lackey I see."

The third man laughed. "New? Don't you recognize me?" He pulled his hood back. "Little brother."

Ken recoiled as the hood fell. "This can't be…you're dead. Ken'ichi died! I saw him die!"

Ken'ichi smiled, a cold and unnatural sight. "You saw them take my body away. All carefully scripted to make you unleash your _rei_ and destroy the other clan heads in one fell swoop." His smile faded. "But you didn't care enough to get angry and loose control to avenge me."

Ken couldn't believe what he was hearing. Then he remembered Shinobu. He could deal with his family later. "Where's the girl?!"

Ken'ichi laughed. "Right about now," He grinned sadistically. "She should be on the Hina Blade."

Ken eyes widened in terror as he realized the implications of his brother's words. "You bastards!" He seethed. He spun and blasted open the wall of the room. He turned and pointed _Akkanka_ at his brother and then to his father. His white eye dimmed, nearly matching his black one. "If she's hurt, you'll beg me to die." He ran out the newly created door and leapt up to the roof, heading toward the complex grounds.

The two men watched as Ken left.

"We will have to kill him after all." The father said.

Ken'ichi shook his head, as he picked up the long katana his father had dropped. "No, we won't."

Kyouaku's voice rose in anger at his son contradiction his order. "What do you mean 'no'!?"

Ken'ichi smiled. "You've outgrown your usefulness to me old man." He buried his katana into his father's heart.

Kyouaku's hood fell back, revealing an older man with a large scar across his face. "How could you?" He demanded as he coughed up blood.

Ken'ichi smiled. "Oh but I haven't father, Kenji did." His smile widened. "At least that is what the clan will be told once I become the new leader. I just needed you until we drew Kenji-_chan_ out. Now it's time for you to die." He twisted his sword in his father's chest, and held it there until the eyes glazed over in death. He pulled the blade out and wiped it clean on his father's coat. He turned toward the center grounds. "And so begins the new age of Japan, the start of the Ashura Dynasty."

Good? Bad? Other? Drop a note and let me know what you think. 'Till the next, live well all!

Name Meanings:

Kyouaku – fiendish, brutal, villainous

Ken'ichi – strong first son


	19. Rescue and Betrayal, Conclusion

A/N: To whom ever I managed to piss off and has cursed my life, I'm sorry for whatever it was that I did. Now please pull back the curse, I can't afford all these damn bills to repair my car. Anywho, enjoy this everyone.

Love Hina: Healing Hearts

Disclaimer: I own nothing but my own characters. Love Hina is Ken Akamatsu's.

Chapter Nineteen: Rescue and Betrayal, Conclusion

Sora was breathing heavily now. This girl, Hotaru, was different than from when she had faced her before. She was surer of her moves, more confident, more experienced, and most certainly more powerful. She rolled to the side and barely brought her staff up in time to block her attacker's counter movement.

Hotaru was also out of breath, though not nearly as bad as Sora. She brought _Enten_ up and cut Sora lightly at the shoulder. She then followed by bringing _Hikari_ from above and the metal clang rang out as _Kunpuu_ blocked. Hotaru smiled slightly, and let her _chi_ flow out into the gap in Sora's middle defense. She watched as Sora hurtled backwards as the flames threatened to consume her.

That was when the roof began to crumble. Both girls looked up to see a figure in black racing towards the center of the grounds.

"Kenji!" Sora yelled in shock as she recognized his ki.

"_Onii-chan_!" Hotaru screamed at the same moment.

The girls exchanged glances.

Sora took a step back. "You can't be…"

Hotaru smirked and allowed her _rei_ a little bit of slack. She had discovered that while her _ki_ and _chi_ were controllable, her _rei_ was as wild as real flames. A little freedom could be too much if she wasn't careful. "That's right…_onee-chan_." Hotaru's hair and eye's began to glow with a red orange color. "But we can discuss that later, right now _onii-chan_ needs my help."

A ring of fire erupted around Sora and created a cage of flames. "What are you going to do?" Sora demanded, with a slight trace of fear in her voice.

Hotaru walked up to, and through, the flames. "For now, just keep you here out of his way." She stepped back and began to follow her brother. "This isn't settled between us. You and I are family, at least by blood, so _onii-chan_ probably won't let me kill you for what you did to us at the Hinata-sou." Her eyes glinted menacingly. "But you hurt my other family, so I'm going to make you wish I could."

Sora shivered despite her heated prison. She tested her cage bars with her staff, in seconds the staff was too hot to hold with out the use of her gloves. She narrowed her eyes on Hotaru's fleeing form. "Alright _imouto_, just remember the old adage. Play with fire…"

---

Keitaro faced off against his mystery opponent once again. The last of the clan's normal foot soldiers were quickly being taken care of by Motoko and Kanako. He could sense the other coming quickly towards them, especially Ken and Hotaru. Keitaro smiled, they must have found Shinobu and were ready to leave. He ducked to the side as his opponent renewed the battle.

His grim expression returned as he landed a strong punch to the belly of his attacker. "I didn't want to hurt you, but it's clear that I have no choice now." He dodged another attack and brought his sword high in a two handed grip. "You fight as though you feel no pain, no emotion of any kind, for that I am sorry. You must be ready to fall to pieces after the blows we've traded." He brought his blade down. "Hopefully, this will put an end to the pain that must be holding you." He turned as he heard a whistling sound at the same moment that his opponent turned. They both rushed out of the blast range as Ken's final sleep bomb exploded where they stood a moment earlier.

Ken landed beside Keitaro's prone form. "You alive?"

Keitaro stood and glared at the hooded man. "No thanks to that little stunt!"

Ken nodded. "Good, keep the others at bay."

Keitaro grabbed Ken's shoulder. "Hold it! What the hell…"

Ken roughly shook his friend's grip. "Just stay back…this is going to be tricky."

Keitaro watched as Ken walked away. "His voice…was that fear?"

---

Ken walked up toward the other figure in black. "Are you in there?"

The woman stood slowly, and brought her sword to the ready.

Ken shook his head. "I know you're in there. Remember, that is your name after all. Remember everything he tried to take from you, it's still there, I can hear it."

The woman charged, but she was slower this time.

Ken easily dodged. "Remember, please." He grabbed the woman's wrist and applied a small amount of pressure causing her to drop the sword. "Please, come back."

She fought his grip and managed to pull away. She stared at this man uncertainly now.

Ken put it all on the line. He pulled back his ki and his chi until his eyes no longer glowed black and white. He pulled back his hood, and smiled as he heard the woman gasp upon seeing his face. "See? I knew you were still in there somewhere." He reached out and tried to grab the woman's hood.

She shied away from his reach.

Ken, however, pushed forward. "Please, come back to us." He grasped her and pulled back her hood. "Shinobu." Her eyes were hollow and lifeless. The spark that had captivated Ken when he first met her was gone. Then he noticed that she was crying. "No, it's just hidden." He remembered. He reached out and gently caressed her face. "Come back Shionbu-_chan_." He leaned in and gently kissed her.

Shinobu blinked her eyes, and realized that she was kissing Ken. She pulled back after a moment. "_Ano_, where am I?"

Ken smiled and shook his head. "Doesn't matter now, let's just get you home." He caught her as she stumbled. "It's ok Shinobu, just rest now."

Shinobu nodded. "I am kind of tired, and sore too."

Ken picked her up and cradled her in his arms, and began to walk towards the cave he had first entered from. By the time he was at the cave, Shinobu was asleep. He could feel the others watching him as they followed, he'd have to explain later to them. He smiled weakly. "That is if they don't kill me first…"

---

Once back at the Hinata-sou the girls opted to crash rather than interrogate Ken. Naru watched as Ken had cleaned and dressed Shinobu's wounds from her time as the "black fighter". She had been ready to object when she felt that some of Shinobu's injuries were a bit to private to be cared for by a man, but Naru realized that in the same situation, she would want Keitaro tending to her rather than one of the girls. At last she walked in from the doorway where she stood and kneeled next to Shinobu's sleeping form, directly opposite from Ken. "You really love her, don't you?"

Ken nodded as he brushed a stray hair from Shinobu's face. "More than I ever thought I was capable of." He frowned. "All this pain she's in now… is my fault."

Naru was a bit surprised that Ken actually shed a few tears. She had always seen him as being a kidder with no worries, seeing him vulnerable was a bit strange. She smiled despite this. "She looks like she's sleeping peacefully, I don't think she's in pain."

Ken nodded, but remained silent.

Naru looked out the window. "She cares about you too."

Ken nodded. "That is why this is so much more painful, she trusted me, and I failed her."

Naru stood and walked around to where Ken sat. "You didn't fail her, in fact in the big scheme of things…" She pressed something into his palm. "I'd say you kept and even bigger promise." She walked out of the room. "Don't think that I'm going soft, because after I get some sleep I'm going to rip your head off for the stunt you pulled before along with the others."

Ken nodded and smiled. "I never doubted that." He glanced down at the object in his hand, and smiled. He sat back and pressed his back against the wall. He watched Shinobu for a time. Before long, her easy, rhythmic, breathing had lulled him into a deep sleep as well.

---

Ken'ichi drew his long katana and sliced the roots and vines that held his youngest sibling to the ground. He shoved the young boy roughly with his foot. "Wake up. We have work to do."

Saburo stood and rubbed his jaw. "Moriko…that bitch. I'm going to enjoy killing her, I don't care what father says!"

Beneath his hood Ken'ichi smiled. He quickly hid his joy and did a very convincing impersonation of someone who was upset. "Father will not have a say, I'm afraid."

Saburo blinked. "_Nani_?"

Ken'ichi nodded. "Kenji was here, he killed father."

Saburo stumbled back. "He can't have!"

"He has." Ken'ichi moved towards the door. "We must find our sisters."

They quickly freed Amaya of her restraints and informed her of their father's demise as well.

"I won't lie and say I'm sad that the old man is dead, but he deserved better than to die at the hands of that traitor." Amaya stated as she headed towards where Sora was still held captive.

Sora was sweating quite profusely now. She had been in this fire cage for hours now and was tired of it. "When I get my hands on her…" she panted. Suddenly a fire hose was turned on and Sora was hit full force with the blast of water.

"Heads up!" Amaya teased. "Oh right, the warning is supposed to come before the water hits you. Sorry, I always forget things like that."

Sora growled and the winds in the damaged hallway spun quicker. She smiled as Amaya yelled from the small grains of sand and debris that were cutting her body like razors. "My winds alone may not be able to kill you sister, but the things that get caught within them certainly can!" Sora toppled to the ground as the floor beneath her began to quake. "_Jihibiki_…" she murmured.

Ken'ichi stepped forward and sheathed his katana. "Save you energy, you will need it soon." He turned to Saburo. "Fill her in on what has happened, I must address the clan." He left his three siblings to discuss what they may, and smiled. He walked out to the common grounds and took in the sight of his kinsmen in various states of injury. He closed his eyes and his chi began to flow. He smiled as the earth beneath his feet responded. He opened his eyes and watched as his chi began to slowly attach to each member of the clan.

One of the younger fighters recognized his figure. "Fall to your knees!" He called out to the others. "Lord Ken'ichi graces us with his presence!"

Ken'ichi smiled as the entire clan bowed before him. "Rise my kinsmen and here what I have to say." He paused for dramatic effect, but also to give time to allow his chi to work its way further into the minds of those who stood before him. "My errant brother, the traitor Kenji, returned this night." He waited as the clan murmured. "But he didn't come to admit his guilt and rejoin us as I offered on my fathers behalf. No, he instead slew our father! Our leader, the great Ashura Kyouaku is dead by Kenji's hand!" He shunted his hatred for Kenji over his chi lines and into the minds of every kinsman that he touched.

The crowd rang out as one for Kenji's blood. Screams for his death echoed throughout the valley.

Ken'ichi smiled, but didn't allow his twisted joy to flow into his voice. He instead forced himself to sound even more upset than before. "Though is tears my heart, as the new leader of the clan, I must order this. Kenji knew well the laws of our clan, to betray us is bad enough, but to kill our late leader as well, leaves no other choice than to demand his death!" He smiled sadistically as the crowd responded to his order. "Regain your strength my brothers and sisters! For once we exact our revenge on Kenji, we will take or revenge on the other clans at The Gathering!"

He turned and walked away as his kinsmen cheered his words. Ken'ichi pulled his chi back and walked to his room. Once sure that no one could hear him, he began to laugh openly.

---

Ken sat atop the remainder of the Hinata-sou roof. He had come up with Keitaro to try to fix the place up after the battle, but there was just too much damage. This couldn't be fixed by a simple patch job like when he or Keitaro got punched through the roof. He looked over the roof again. "This is going to need a whole contracting company." He muttered. He stood and began to walk in slow circles.

"So let's go over this again." He wondered aloud. "'Ichi is alive and well, though a complete and total space case from the kid I wanted to emulate growing up. The old man still wants me dead for something I did during the incident. The other Avatars are going to want blood after the beating we gave them, and so will the rest of the clan to a lesser extent." He frowned. "So why haven't they made their move? It's been nearly three days now."

"That frown has been on your face every time I look at you."

Ken turned as Shinobu came up to the roof. "Feeling better?"

Shinobu nodded. "_Hai_, that thing you did with you ki has made me feel a lot better." She ran her palm across Ken's face. "I just wish I could do something to make you feel better."

Ken smiled. "I'm ok, just thinking too much."

"What about?" She inquired as she sat down.

"Everything." Ken replied, with a slight sadness in his tone.

Shinobu nodded. "I see. Want to talk?"

Ken shook his head and sat down on the roof beside Shinobu. "Nah, I'll just end up going in circles again." He paused as he heard shouts from beneath the holes of the roof. "What's up?"

Shinobu sighed. "Sempai's been on the phone with the insurance company about getting the place repaired, but…this is a bit much for the company to swallow, even with under our 'acts of Su' clause. I don't think that they will pay for the repairs, and that has Sempai upset."

Ken nodded. "I see…" He reached into his pocket and palmed the small object that Naru had given him a few nights earlier. "Shinobu…"

"Ara ara!" Came a voice from the front door. "What has happened here?"

Shinobu jumped to her feet and ran towards the steps. "Mutsumi's back from Okinawa! The shock of seeing Hinata-sou in this condition may kill her for real this time!'

Ken swallowed hard as he heard a thump from the entrance of the Hinata-sou. "Keitaro may want to hold off on trying to get this placed repaired now." He whispered to the empty air. "The Gathering will come quickly now that the heart of the warrior has returned."

---

Sora opened her eyes as her winds died down around her, Kenji's words still in her ears. She nodded to her eldest brother.

The Avatar of Earth, and new leader of the Ashura Clan, rose from his chair and fastened _Jihibiki's_ sheath to his side. He strode confidently to the cave entrance. Once there he unsheathed his blade and raised it high above his head. He smiled as his clan voiced their desire for battle. He sheathed his sword again and stepped into the dark cave. "The first step towards my ultimate victory."

Good? Bad? Other? Tell me what you think. Please?

Name meanings:

Shinobu- to conceal one's (true) self, to endure, to remember, to recollect, and ??? (heh heh, not yet on the last one)

Jihibiki – earth tremor


	20. The Gathering

A/N: Just about done.

Thanks to walkswithwraiths for his help in all this. And for the reviews too :)

Thanks to my friend in bio: Just be warned, Dave saw your review and is quite mad you used his real name on this site. (Looks around nervously) Lock your door when you go to sleep, that dude's crazy. :-P

Thanks to anyone who has read and reviewed thus far! With out the support I may not have every continued with this.

Alright, I guess that's everyone. On with the fic! Enjoy everyone!

Love Hina: Healing Hearts

Disclaimer: I do own Love Hina. (pulls out the boxed anime set and the movies along with all the manga) See, I do own it. Just not the rights, so don't sue cause I'm broke anyway from car bills…TT

Chapter Twenty: The Gathering

Keitaro and Ken watched as the girls chitchatted with Mutsumi.

"You realize what this means right?" Ken asked.

Keitaro nodded. "I do." Keitaro sighed. "I had thought that she would just stay clear of this place until this went away, but it seems that she wants this to be done with once and for all as well." He turned to the younger man. "When do you think they'll come?"

Ken shrugged. "No way to tell exactly, but knowing 'Ichi…it won't be long."

Keitaro swallowed hard. "Do you think we have a chance?"

Ken reached down and tapped the Hina Blade at Keitaro's side. "I saw you reading the journal left by your ancestor, the one your grandmother was named for. You know how this has to end." He sighed. "As do I."

Keitaro shook his head. "I don't accept that! There has to be another way!"

"It is not for you to accept K-man." Ken smiled sadly. "But for me too, and I do."

Keitaro glared at the blonde haired man. "And what about Shinobu? Does she know about what you have planed?"

Ken turned away. "_Iie_, and you aren't going to tell her."

"The hell I'm not!"

Ken grabbed Keitaro by the collar of his shirt. "You do that and I may not be able to do this! Then everyone will pay! So keep quiet and follow what your ancestor wrote!"

Keitaro stared at the man holding him. Ken's face was a mixture of pain and fear. "I see…alright then."

Ken released his grip. "_Arigato_."

"So how do you intend to do this?" Keitaro asked as Ken got control of himself.

Ken sighed. "I'm working on it…"

---

Mutsumi smiled as Shinobu brought out the tea and snacks to the group. "I'm glad to see that you have recovered so nicely."

Shinobu blinked. "How did you know about that?"

"Same way she knew about everything else that concerns Hinata-sou." Naru answered as she took her drink. "As the representative of the final clan, she has the unique ability to sense when others are in danger."

Shinobu shook her head. "But I'm not from the clans."

Kanako sipped her drink slowly. "But you have spent a great deal of time here at the Hinata-sou, so its energy has been tied to you as well."

"Oh." Was all Shinobu was able to reply with.

"I'll get you yet! Come back here!" Su came bounding through the room in hot pursuit of a small flying turtle. "Come back Tama-chan! You're to be the main ingredient of my stew!"

The seated women sweat dropped as they watched this familiar scene yet again.

"Myuh!" Tama-chan put her flippers back and her speed increased as she attempted to escape her pursuer.

Moriko was not far behind Su. "Holy crap! A flying turtle! Don't eat it! We can sell her to a zoo or something and make some crazy money for something like this!"

"No way!" Su yelled back. "She's my dinner!"

Hotaru plucked the tiny reptile out of the air. "I don't like either of those choices." She gave the turtle a pat on the head. "She's to cute to be anything else but a pet." She turned and sat down with the other tenants. "Anyway, now that all members of the warrior clans are here, what do we do next?"

Motoko leaned back into her chair. "We wait I suppose."

"That's stupid." Hotaru pointed out. "If we wait, we're going to be caught with out pants down like we were last time."

"No pants?" Su flopped down on the couch. "In that case we'll win no problem!"

The others turned to the young girl in confusion.

Su continued. "If they attack with no pants on, then Naru and Motoko will go into 'pervert killing mode' and be totally unbeatable!"

Everyone in the room sweat dropped.

"Anyone else think that we should revoke Su's speaking privileges?" Commented Hotaru.

Sarah shrugged. "She does have a point though."

"Hey!" Motoko and Naru responded angrily.

Keitaro entered the room. "Something wrong?"

Kitsune turned to face the new arrival. "Well, hey there, Mr. Landlord! What's the word on getting our home sweet home fixed up?"

Keitaro shook his head. "The insurance people won't give me an answer yet. Say they need to see the amount of damage to rate everything."

Haruka shook her head and took another drag of her cigarette. "I hate that damn company." She turned to her nephew. "Once this is all done with, find a new company ok?"

"Yeah, cause another company will take us with our repair history." Keitaro relied sarcastically.

Haruka pulled a paper fan from somewhere and smacked Keitaro in the back of the head. "Did you say something?"

Keitaro shook his head. "No Aunt…"

Haruka smacked him again. "Just Haruka."

Shinobu turned around. "Sempai? Have you seen Ken?"

Keitaro nodded. "He went back by the waterfall, but he said he wanted to be alone for a while."

"Oh. Well, I suppose I'll go start lunch then." Shinobu stood and walked off to the kitchen.

"Where is Ken really?" asked Naru.

"I was telling the truth Naru." Keitaro looked out toward the waterfall. "He's trying to find peace."

---

Shinobu sat on the roof alone. Ken hadn't come in for lunch, nor dinner. She couldn't help but get the feeling that something was bothering him. She watched as the sun began to set over the ocean in the distance.

"Something on your mind?"

Shinobu turned to see Moriko coming up the stairs.

"I can leave if you'd like."

Shinobu smiled. "That's alright, I was actually hoping for some company."

Moriko returned the smile. "I know what you mean, I was kind of hoping to find _onii-chan_ up here too."

Shinobu sighed. "You haven't seen him either?"

Moriko shook her head and sat beside the old girl. "I saw him, but I didn't get the chance to talk to him." She looked out to the sea. "He's been sitting in meditation under that waterfall for hours now." She glanced sidelong at her friend. "Any ideas on what's bothering him."

"I think discovering that his brother was alive and betrayed him really tore him up." Shinobu whispered softly. "But then, I can't always read him very well."

Moriko smiled. "Well if you can't read him, none of us can. You're the only one I think his has ever really opened up to." She sighed. "Shinobu can I ask you something?"

"_Hai_."

"When this is all over," Moriko paused. "Will you take care of Ken?"

Shinobu blinked. "I don't understand."

Moriko bit her lip. "_Onii-chan_ is very important to me, but you are very special to him in a way I never can be. He loves you Shinobu."

Shinobu blinked, then blushed. "And you want to know if I love him." She smiled. "I think that I do." She turned to the younger girl and smiled. "Yeah, I'll take care of him."

---

Ken slowly opened his eyes. His heart weighed heavy in his chest and his spirit wept, but he had to be strong. There was only one way that this could end.

He stood and stepped out of the freezing cold water that poured down upon his body and striped down out of his gray training garb. He raised he _ki_ just enough to fling off the last of the water that clung to his body and felt his temperature begin to rise to what most would consider a normal level.

He stood still for a long time looking between his choices in clothing. The clothes themselves would neither aid nor harm him in the fight that was to come, but the meaning behind those clothes could.

To his right was his entirely black ensemble he had worn when he was the Avatar of Spirit of the Ashura Clan, and also what he had worn under the guise of Noman that night he had helped her. These were symbols of the powers he had discovered and honed in the shadows; Powers and skills that allowed him to do things that no man should be able to do. Those skills could very well give him the strength to defeat his enemies and keep his friends safe. "But perhaps cost me my very soul…"

To his left, a simple pair of jeans, his worn sneakers, and a long sleeve shirt that Shinobu had given him as a present for Christmas. Long sleeved because she knew that he'd wear nothing else given the scars that covered his body. A symbol of her dedication she gave in response to the trust he placed in her when he shared that secret with her. She believed in him as Ken, not the Avatar within. She had given him hope again, helped him regain a part of him he had thought lost forever. Such strength would keep him fighting long after his body should have given out. "But will it be strength enough to stand against my brother and sisters and to keep her safe?"

He closed his eyes and opened his senses to the forested land that surrounded the Hinata-sou. Instantly the music of the spirits filled his ears, trying to help him find the answer he searched for. He opened his eyes after discovering that there was no more time left. He picked the clothing up from where it lay on the ground and dressed unhurried. He picked up a small object that had rested between the two outfits and tucked it behind the shirt, right next to his heart. "I suppose it really doesn't matter what I wear. You helped heal the scars in my heart, and allowed me to be close to yours. The rest is just background noise."

He smiled as he strapped _Kedou_ and _Akkanka_ to his back. He paused as he passed the waterfall and saw his reflection. He pulled his white sword from its scabbard and placed it at the base of his ponytail, in one deft motion the lump of hair fell into the pool below. Ken made a few more cuts and placed _Kedou_ back into his sheath. He wet his hand and ran it through his hair, giving it a messy spiked look. He watched as his golden locks flowed down the stream and out of sight. He smiled sadly at the song the river sang.

He turned and headed for the Hinata-sou. His green eyes turned up toward the moon. The last night was a hunter's moon, not a true full moon, but very close. Tonight was as a full moon, but it would be special tonight. The moon was passing through the Mars sky. He sped up his walk to a light run as he sensed the gathering _ki_. "Time to end this."

The forest was quiet now, quiet but for the sound of cloth ripping and humming.

---

Haruka calmly walked toward the upcoming crowd of people. She puffed out a cloud of smoke and pulled out her paper fan. She gave it a powerful swing and the first wave of the Ashura Clan foot soldiers were sent flying back into their kinsmen. She rested her fan on her shoulder and took another drag of her cigarette. "Why don't you all just go home already?" She sighed.

Keitaro stepped forward, the light of the moon reflecting off his Hina Blade. Beside him stood Motoko and Kanako. Behind them stood Seta, Sarah, Su, Kitsune, Shinobu, and Mutsumi.

Keitaro glanced up towards his bedroom window. He knew that Naru was watching from that window, as was Nyamo. Keitaro had managed to convince Naru that staying there would be best, given the baby, and Nyamo had agreed to make sure that Naru stayed there.

"What are you looking at, _baka_?"

Keitaro turned, only mildly surprised to see Naru standing at his side. "I thought you were going to stay out of harms way."

Nyamo ran up to Keitaro mumbling her apology for not keeping Naru in her room.

Keitaro waved off her apology, smiled, and rested a hand on her shoulder. "No worries, we'll just make sure that she stays safe down here." He turned as four figures in black trench coats stepped to the front of the Ashura line. Then he turned to the voices behind him.

"Were you going to start this party with out us?" Teased Moriko as she stepped out of the door.

Hotaru hopped down from the awning over the door. "That isn't very nice, trying to leave us behind."

Sarah looked around. "So where is the other dork now?"

One of the black coats stepped forward and removed his hood. His skin was pale to the point one would think that it had never seen sunlight. His hair a satin black color and tied of into a very short tail ending at his shoulders. His eyes a cold steel gray. "The Gathering is here. For it to be of legal standing before the histories all parties must be gathered and announced." He drew his sword, _Jihibiki_, from his sheath. "I am the Avatar of Earth, Ashura Ken'ichi."

Amaya, Sora, and Saburo stepped forward one at a time and removed their hoods before similarly introducing themselves.

Keitaro nodded. "Urashima Keitaro, of the right foot of the warrior." Kanako and Haruka similarly introduced themselves.

"Noriyasu Seta, of the left foot of the warrior."

"Sarah McDougal, successor to Noriyasu-ryu."

"Narusegewa Naru, of the right hand of the warrior."

"Otohime Mutsumi, of the heart of the warrior."

"Ashura Moriko…"

"And Ashura Hotaru, of the left hand of the warrior."

"Aoyama Motoko, of the head of the warrior."

Ken'ichi smiled. "Good all are here, now you can all die together."

"Hey!" Cried Su as she bounced to the front of the group.

Kitsune followed up as well. "You didn't let us say anything!"

"We're part of this too!" Yelled Shinobu.

Ken'ichi scoffed. "You are not of the clans and have no standing here, your deaths are merely collateral damage." He dropped to an offensive stance, his eyes taking on a brown-black glow. "Now die." He charged forward. A black sword hurtled down and became stuck in the ground directly in Ken'ichi's path, nearly skewering him. He looked up along the angle the blade had traveled, and his eyes narrowed.

"One more introduction is needed." The man's glowing eyes, one black, one white, fixed on the pale man. "Ken, formerly Ashura Kenji of the Ashura Clan, formerly the Avatar of Spirit, of the left hand of the warrior." Ken dropped to the ground from where he stood at the top of the Hinata-sou and retrieved his sword.

Shinobu gasped as she saw him. He wore a simple street clothes outfit, but that wasn't what caught her attention. Ken was wearing the gift she had given him only a few weeks ago, but he had cut the sleeves off, and slits part way down the side revealing his scars for the world to see. Shinobu gasped again as Ken turned and gave her a smile, his eyes fading to his normal green color for a moment before his _ki_ overtook the color again. She smiled. "He's no longer ashamed of his scars…"

Moriko smiled. "Nope, and he's putting his faith in the strength you've given him."

Ken turned back to his brother. "Hey 'Ichi! What do you say we settle this like we did as kids?" He smiled and pulled _Kedou_ from the sheath at his back. "Or are you afraid you'll lose to me again?"

Ken'ichi snarled. "I always left you crying!"

Ken settled into a relaxed upper stance. "I recall other wise. Maybe fragmenting your concentration to control the minds of all the clan has affected your memory?"

"So you figured it out." Ken'ichi smiled and readied himself for battle.

Ken nodded. "I can hear their spirits screaming to be free of your control. Let them go and take me on at your full power. One on one, end this once and for all." He narrowed his eyes. "Or I break the hold you have on them by myself."

Ken'ichi smiled. "You can only hear their spirits, not command them or free them."

Ken smiled in return. "A limit that has yet to be tested…'Ichi."

A sneer crossed Ken'ichi's face again. "I hate that nickname!"

Ken smiled again. "Yeah, because we both know, that I was the real number one."

Ken'ichi seethed with anger. Behind him the other members of the Ashura clan began to fall, one by one, until even the other Avatars fell. "We settle this now! You and I!" He charged forward and savagely kneed Ken in the stomach.

Ken's body bounced repeatedly across the yard.

"Is that all you have?" Ken'ichi laughed. "Ji."

Ken stood also laughing. "Damn, that almost hurt." He smiled. "But Motoko hits harder than that." He dashed forward and stopped just before his brother. "And running for my life from Naru has made me a lot faster." He head-butted Ken'ichi. "And sparing with the K-man each morning has improved my reflexes too." He watched as Ichi now bounced across the yard. "I had hoped I could save you _onii-chan_, both back then, and when I found you were alive again." He sighed and frowned. "But you are beyond reach, your soul sings a dirge." He readied his blades for the final blow. "I am sorry, my brother." Ken raced forward and the field erupted with brown ki.

Ken'ichi smiled as he rose from the ground, his body radiating brown _ki_. "I am one with the earth, you can't hope to match my power." He raced forward again and slashed younger sibling across the chest.

Ken managed to avoid the physical blade, but the accompanying ki wave hit him full force. He screamed as he hurtled backwards through the front door of the dorm, and continued on until he landed in the bath. He coughed and looked at his reflection in the blood-tainted water. "Damn…where'd he get this power." His eyes widened in fear. "Is it _rei_?!"

Ken'ichi appeared behind him. "It is indeed." He raised his sword. "_Sayonara_, little brother."

"No!"

Ken's eyes narrowed to pinpoints as he saw the flash of blue hair as a body tried to through itself between Ken and the falling _Jihibiki_. He reached up and grabbed the girl's small frame. He summoned every ounce of chi he possessed and spun her underneath him as the blade fell. He grunted as the long sword cut into his back.

Shinobu looked up into Ken's eyes as they faded from white and black to green. "I…I…"

Ken winced as the blade fell again. "Run…"

Shinobu blinked. "But…"

Ken shook his head. "I understand now." His eyes began to reassume their mismatched colors. "Go, and tell the others to run as well." He smiled as the third cut was laid into his flesh. "Tell Keitaro to be ready too."

Shinobu nodded and ran towards her friends.

Ken'ichi watched as she ran. "I see…" He smiled, a cold and unnatural sight. "She is your number one…" He raised his hand and ki raced toward Shinobu.

Ken appeared suddenly at the midpoint of the path between Ichi and Shinobu, and stopped the ki blast.

Ken'ichi back peddled. His brother's aura was different now. Black energy consumed half his body, as it flowed up past his head it turned white and flowed down to his feet where it turned black again. His swords glowed as well, standing out as tiny dots against the background of opposing color. He looked almost like a walking yin-yang. "His _rei_ is awake, and he's in control of it." Ken'ichi realized.

Ken nodded his eyes similarly swirling between light and dark. "And yours is not." His expression and tone were neutral, as though someone else were taking through him. "The song sung by the mountains near the clan home, you've been stealing power from the earth to increase your strength. But it is not _rei_."

"I don't understand." Ken'ichi took another step back. "You're _rei_…"

Ken nodded. "You and father had the right idea, it couldn't be triggered by simply putting me in danger, you had to endanger those I cared about." He readied himself for the final strike. "That's why I didn't awaken when we attacked the clan heads eight years ago. Urashima and Aoyama attacked me, and you saved me, not the other way around." He looked over to the side and saw that the others were slowly leave the area, except for Keitaro. He turned back to his brother. "I wish I could merely offer you the chance to turn away from the life you've chosen, but I would never be able to trust that you would not try something like this again." He smiled sadly and his voice returned to normal for a moment as the tears fell from his eyes. "_Sayonara…Onii-chan_."

Ken'ichi watched as _Kedou _and _Akkanka_ flared to life with even greater power, he felt the tension in the air. He could feel the cold sweat dripping down his back, and he felt his heart stop in his chest. "_Seidaku_…" He didn't have a chance to react as Ken materialized before him and grazed his chest with both blades simultaneously.

Ken fell to the ground. "Do it…"

---

The Hinata-sou tenants had just reached the street as the night sky was illuminated by and explosion unlike they had ever seen. And stared horrified from their place on the stairs.

"Keitaro…" Naru breathed worriedly.

"Ken…" gasped Shinobu.

"_Onii-chan_!" Hotaru screamed for her brother, hoping that he would come just as he always would. He didn't. She tried to run up the steps, but found she couldn't move. She fell to her knees and began to cry as Moriko held her close.

Shinobu also tried to run to Ken's aid but was restrained by a pair of strong, tan arms. She turned expecting to see Ken. Instead she saw Su in her adult form.

The older girl shook her head sadly.

Shinobu broke away and ran up the stairs. The others were not far behind her. They all stopped cold when they reached the summit.

Shinobu fell to her knees and began to cry.

The others watched in silence as their home, the Hinata-sou, slowly burned to the ground.

Good? Bad? Other? Let me know what you think.

Name meanings:

Ji – two, second

Seidaku – good and evil, purity and impurity

A/N: Don't worry, we're not quite done yet. Till the next, live will all.


	21. Coming Full Circle

A/N: You read right. This is it people. The final chapter. I can't believe that this story became as big as it did. Or that so many people were so kind in their reviews. So at this time I will to thank everyone who has encouraged me once again.

As for my sporadic updates as of late, as a few of you who have asked may know, my uncle has been fighting cancer for the last few months, and I have been going to visit him quite often. As a result writing time took a backseat most of the time.

He has at last found peace.

This chapter is dedicated to his memory.

Now and forever in my heart Uncle Eddie. 3

Love Hina: Healing Hearts

Disclaimer: I don't own Love Hina. If you think I do, put down the crack pipe and check the name on the manga cover, it ain't mine!

Chapter Twenty-one: Coming Full Circle

Naru woke and looked over at the window. As she expected, Keitaro was standing there looking out towards where the Hinata-sou used to be as he gave Aijou her bottle. Naru rolled out from underneath her covers and went to the bathroom to wash up a bit.

She turned on the shower and began to bathe as she thought back to that day. Keitaro had come through the fires that consumed the apartments looking scared and haggard. He held the hilt of the Hina Blade, but the sword itself had been shattered. He had told them that the clan war was over, and then had never spoken of it again.

With the Hinata-sou destroyed, everyone had been forced to go there separate ways. For what they had thought would be only a short time until the restoration was completed, but the insurance company had ruled the fire as arson and refused to pay for the repairs. There was no way to rebuild their home out of pocket and without the buildings to make the needed money, it wasn't long before they couldn't even afford to keep the property with the rising taxes. They had been forced to sell the land to the city not long after that.

"_Onee-chan?_ Are you nearly done?"

Naru wrapped herself in a towel and opened the door. "_Hai_, sorry for taking so long Mei."

The younger girl nodded as she looked up at her big sister nervously. "You were thinking again, about that day, weren't you?"

Naru nodded.

Mei looked on as Naru walked away. "I think that you and Keitaro should go out somewhere tonight. I can baby sit Aijou."

Naru smiled at her sister. "Maybe, I'll talk to Keitaro about it." She closed the door to the room she shared with her fiancé. He was still in the same place, gently rubbing their daughter's back until she hiccupped.

Keitaro turned as Naru entered the room. He knew that he worried her when he didn't sleep through the night, but he didn't sleep well anymore. After the Hinata-sou fell, they had moved in with Naru's parents to make sure she was comfortable until Aijou was born. Her mother wasn't happy that Naru was pregnant before married, but she wasn't about to turn her daughter away, especially after they told her what had happened. But he still hadn't told anyone what had happened after they left. Maybe it was at last time.

"Naru! Called a voice from the lower floor. "There is a package here for you and Keitaro!"

Naru nodded and took her daughter from her husband to be. "You go ahead and get cleaned up. Aijou and I will see what the mail brought."

Keitaro smiled as Naru walked down the stairs while making various little noises at their daughter. His smile widened as the infant giggled back in reply. He collected his clothing for the day and headed toward the bathroom, his mind on the day the Hinata-sou fell.

---

Keitaro completed his lunch and excused himself from the table. From there he casually traveled the grounds, until he came to the waterfall at the rear of the property. Ken sat beneath the waterfall in a gray _hakhama _and _gi_. His skin looked as though it was nearly blue in tone. "How long do you plan to sit here?"

Ken didn't open his eyes, in fact he didn't move at all.

Keitaro nodded. "Fine, so you're just going to do this blindly, based on what has come before." He glared at the man in the water, knowing Ken could feel the intensity of his gaze. "So, how do you intend to take care of Hotaru once you're gone?" His eyes narrowed. "What about Shinobu?"

Ken's eyebrow twitched, but otherwise didn't move.

Keitaro turned and walked away. "You should at least tell her good bye then. She deserves that much at least."

Ken didn't move as Keitaro walked away. He was happy that his face was already wet from the waterfall. It helped to hide his tears.

---

Keitaro watched as Ken crashed though the front door of the dorm. He chased Ken'ichi as he ran through the door with inhuman speed. He stopped at the entrance to the bath. Ken spit blood from his mouth, and Ken'ichi was standing above him with his sword raised.

Then Shinobu ran past Keitaro. He tried to stop her but she was too quickly out of his reach. He watched a moment more before he tried to run after her and felt someone gently hold his arm.

Mutsumi smiled, but shook her head. "She'll be ok."

Keitaro watched helplessly as the young girl threw herself between Ken and the falling four feet of steel. It wasn't until Keitaro saw the blood on the ground that he realized that it wasn't Shinobu's. After only a second she was on her feet and running toward them again. Keitaro yelled for her to duck as Ken'ichi's ki blast raced toward her.

He blinked in surprise as Ken stopped the blast with a single hand, and gasped again as he realized what made that possible. "He's…"

Shinobu came up to the group badly shaken. "K-ken says w-w-we need to run…"

Keitaro nodded. "You should all go somewhere safe." He placed a finger to Naru's lips as she began to protest. "Please."

As everyone began to head for cover, Shinobu paused. "Sempai, Ken also said…"

"I know."

Shinobu blinked, but didn't have the chance to ask how Keitaro knew what Ken had said since Su and Hotaru grabbed her and ran out of the bath.

Keitaro stood and watched as the two brothers faced each other. Suddenly Ken struck his brother down, and quickly fell to the ground. Keitaro rushed to the younger man's side.

"Do it…" Ken stated weakly.

Keitaro shook his head. "There has to be another way."

Ken began to convulse. "No time…barriers breaking…"

"You held it together though, you can control it fully!" Keitaro insisted as he realized that Ken was talking about his _rei_ about to go wild.

Ken fought back his convulsions. "Can't control use…control burst while I can…"

Keitaro was desperate now. "But you saw what my ancestor wrote! My line can't end yours!"

Ken pointed to the sword in Keitaro's hand. "But he can…"

The full scope of Ken's plan now seeped into Keitaro's head. "If I do that, you'll not only die…your soul may be eaten away totally."

"Maybe…" Ken's convulsion began to intensify. "Hurry…remember…" He coughed again and his eyes began to burn brighter and darker all at once. "Remember your words from the other night…"

Keitaro could hear the pain in the blonde's voice as he fought against his own spirit energy. "I will fight along side Ken." He whispered. "If only for the fact that I don't want to see my friends hurt. Or my child living a life looking over its shoulder for all time."

Ken nodded. "This will ensure both, this will end it…"

Keitaro swallowed and nodded. He raised the Hina Blade high and brought it down into Ken's back. He was thrown back as the black steel shattered against Ken's powered up flesh, and the spirit of the ancient Ashura was released. Keitaro watched in terror as the black form of the spirit entered Ken and then triggered the massive explosion of _rei_ energy. "It will be as it was in Kyoto…"

That would not come to be though, as the energy went predominantly into the sky. Keitaro watched as the energy dissipated into its target point, and continued to watch as the smoke rose in the same direction. He would never again be able to look at the red moon with the awe he once had.

---

Keitaro was startled from his thoughts as he heard a young woman scream.

"_Hentai_!"

He abruptly went flying down the hall and through the luckily open window as Mei Narusegewa gave him a very savage uppercut for walking in on her in the bathroom. "Must be in the genes…" He muttered as he lay on the cold sidewalk.

"Hey, _baka_, you still alive?" Naru asked as she opened the front door.

"Yes, for the moment." He replied aloud. "Though I have a feeling that may change soon." He thought silently. However, the beating from Naru didn't come.

"Good, cause there's something in here I think you're going to want to see." She turned and bounced Aijou playfully. "Look at daddy, isn't he being silly?" She cooed to the infant.

The little girl laughed and clapped her hands at the game.

Keitaro walked inside after his two most special girls and saw the notice on the table. He picked it up and read it aloud. "Please join us for the grand reopening of the Hinata Hotel and Tea House. Your complimentary room for two adults and one child has already been booked. All expenses are paid. Train passes are enclosed with in. We look forward to seeing you soon." He tossed the note back on the table and walked away.

"Keitaro?" Naru came up behind him. "I was kind of hoping that we could go."

Keitaro sighed, he wasn't sure he could go back to the place he had killed a man, even if it was his ancestral home. He looked back at Naru, and saw that she really did want to go. He saw also his daughter, seemingly also insistent on going to the place could have called home. He nodded. "Ok, let me take a shower first though."

Naru smiled and tickled her child. "Good girl, you're going to have him wrapped around your finger in no time aren't you."

The baby giggled again.

Naru smiled. "Just don't try that with me." She raised a concerned eyebrow as Keitaro flew out the window again.

"_Hentai_!" Mei screamed. "Now I know why _onee-chan_ beats you up so much!" She closed the door. "Honestly, twice in one morning."

Keitaro sweat dropped as he lay in the street this time. "It's going to be a long day…"

---

"Well look who it is!" Kitsune waved as Naru and Keitaro came into view. "And look at this little one!" She tickled Aijou under her chin. "What are you two feeding this girl? She twice as big as the last time I saw her!"

Before Keitaro could respond, he obsereved someone jumping out from a low flying plane. "Hey isn't that…gyahhhhh!"

"Heyas people! Su's back in da house!" She blinked as she realized that she had landed on Keitaro. "Opsies…" She turned. "Oh, Naru what's that? A new kind of snack?"

Naru pushed the girl away as she began to sniff Aijou. "No…"

"It is good to see you all again." Motoko walked up from the stairs. "I trust that everyone is well." She looked down to see Keitaro twitching from Su's kick. "Well, almost everyone."

"Hi there everybody."

Everyone turned to see Shinobu come up behind Motoko.

Keitaro swallowed nervously. Shinobu had gone back home after the Hinata-sou had burned down and Ken died. They hadn't heard from her since. She looked much like the girl that he had known almost a two years ago, but there was a part missing, the light behind her eyes.

Shinobu smiled. "I'm happy to see you all again."

"Yo people!" Moriko bounded up the steps. "What's everyone doing out here? Let's get inside and party! No sad faces or seriousness at this reunion!"

Everyone turned as three shadows appeared behind Moriko.

"It seems that we are fated to meet again." Stated the woman in the wheelchair.

The young woman pushing the wheelchair bowed politely. "Greetings."

A boy came around from behind the first two and nodded. As he raised his head you could see the scar over his left eye. "We got the invitation too."

Keitaro nodded. "Amaya, Sora, and Saburo." He looked over the three people that had once been his sworn enemies. When Ken had died, his blast had sent a lot of debris flying. In the rush to escape, the Hinata-sou tenants had left the Ashuras where they had fallen. The unconscious Avatars had endured the brunt of the blast.

They had found Amaya pinned to a tree with two by four crossbeam in her belly. The doctors said she had fractured three vertebra and would never walk again.

Sora may look as though she had escaped unscathed, but Keitaro had seen her during her therapy. Her left leg had been broken in four places, and her right knee had been badly torn up. The rehabilitation had taken months, and Sora still had a slight limp.

Saburo had caught a metal pipe to the head and glass to the eye. The glass had left him blind in the left eye. The shot to the head had stunted his mental growth slightly.

Keitaro paused a moment. "I don't suppose you've heard from Hotaru have you?"

Amaya, in her wheelchair, shook her head sadly. "She stayed just long enough to send the clan back to their normal lives, then vanished."

"I looked for her until a few months ago…" Sora began. "But the trail went cold."

Saburo shrugged. "She'll come back when she's ready I'm sure."

Moriko stepped forward. "And Ichi?"

Saburo shook his head. "Same old thing, still sleeping."

Sora nodded in agreement. "He hasn't moved since we put him into the hospital just after the Gathering."

Moriko nodded. _Seidaku_ was Ken's ultimate technique. It didn't kill the person it hit, but seemed to trap the soul and forced the person to confront his worst fears and acts without causing harm to the person affected. It was much like sending someone to purgatory, neither truly good nor truly evil. "Ken couldn't kill Ichi, but he couldn't save him either." She whispered. "So he did what he could to try and give Ichi the time to save himself."

The front door to the new Hinata Inn slid open, revealing a young woman with short red hair and hazel eyes. "Good, I see that all of our honored guests have now arrived."

Keitaro looked around. "Actually I think we're still missing some."

The woman smiled. "Not to worry. Haruka-san, Seta-san, Sarah-san, Mutsumi-san, and Nyamo-san are indeed here. They are down in the tea shop right now. Haruka-san said she wanted to see it for herself."

Keitaro nodded. "Makes sense."

The hostess nodded. "Now then, if you'll all follow me, I can get you registered and have things put into motion for you." The others followed her inside and gasped at what they saw.

Everything was as it had been before the fire. It was as though nothing had been touched. The woman had them sign in and handed each of them their room assignments. Everyone separated briefly to put their luggage away into their rooms.

The woman smiled as she watched them disappear up the stairs.

Keitaro entered his old room with Naru close behind. "Place looks just like we left it, except less patch worked from all the holes my body created."

Naru nodded as she lay down on the fluffy, new, king-sized futon with Aijou. She watched as Keitaro began to unpack their clothes. "Yeah, the contractors must have gotten the original building plans from the city. Still, there were certain things that made the Hinata-sou ours that they can't have possibly re-created." Naru rolled onto her back and lifted her baby above her in play. "Like the…" She stopped as she stared at the ceiling.

"_Nani_?" Keitaro turned his eyes in the same direction as Naru's, and his eyes went wide. It was new and had a professional cover with a small latch. And there was also a small ladder carefully secured to the ceiling beside it with a small cord to lower the ladder for use. Despite those differences, it was there, the fateful hole that had lead to so many strange situations. A hole that was not in the original building plans. They quickly ran out to the hallway and nearly crashed into Kitsune.

"My mini-bar I kept hidden in the closet is there!" Kitsune informed them. "How would the builders know about something like that?"

Su suddenly popped her head out of the ceiling and dropped to the floor. "My room is back! They even put in all the trees and my lab!" She tapped the wall causing a panel to recess and open to a corridor. "And lookie! All the secret passages are still here!"

Motoko came down from her room. "My room is decorated in kendo equipment and I found this." She held up a paper. "Informing me that the room has been extensively turtle proofed." Her eyes narrowed. "Who built this place?"

Moriko and Sora also joined them. "Our rooms are the same as before too."

They ran for the front desk, ignoring the confused looks of the remaining two Ashura siblings. They found no hostess at the desk. They turned and ran for the front door as they heard a motorcycle engine start.

The red haired woman blew them a kiss as they came into view. She smiled, gunned the engine, and raced down the stairs. She glanced at Kanako, Sarah, Seta, Nyamo, and Mutsumi, and smiled again.

Kitsune stared in confusion. "What the hell just happened? Our hostess abandoned us."

Shinobu stepped to the front of the crowd watching as someone exited the teahouse, jumped on the motorcycle, and the two people speed off into the distance. "Sempai, look at your sign in sheet."

Keitaro pulled his paper from his pocket. "I don't believe it…"

Naru looked over his shoulder. "_Nani_?"

Keitaro turned the paper to where Naru could see it better. "It's a land deed, turning the ownership of this inn over to me."

Motoko blinked. "Who would just hand over a piece of property like this?"

Keitaro scanned the paper quickly. "It says the man who bought this property from the city was a developer from America named Noah Mahn."

Shinobu smiled. "Noman."

---

_A few minutes earlier_

"As you can see we've restored everything to what it was while also making some improvements to increase business and productivity." The tall man stated as he glanced at his watch. "Feel free to look about, I must run as I'm late for an appointment."

"This is boring." Sarah informed them as she headed for the door. "I'm going to go find Su."

Mutsumi followed. "I was hoping they would have some chilled watermelon ready to be served but they didn't. Maybe Kei-kun will have some."

"I wonder if _onii-chan_ has even arrived yet?" Kanako followed the first two women. "I guess I'll join you."

Seta looked around. "Coming honey?"

Haruka nodded. "In a moment, go on ahead. I'd like to speak to, Noah, was it? For a moment."

Seta shrugged. "Ok, guess I'll see how the part timer is making out up there." Nyamo followed him.

Haruka waited until the others were completely out of hearing range. "I almost fell for it."

Noah sweat dropped. "_Nani_?"

"Oh cut the crap." Haruka pulled out her cigarette and lit up. "You're at least a foot taller, hair is pitch black, skin white as bone, and muscles too big, but you can't hide your eyes, or your voice. They're the same emerald green, and it's same soothing tone. Your Su blood was triggered by the red moon wasn't it?"

Noah smiled. "I'm amazed you saw me. I even fooled Kanako and she's the master of disguises." He paused. "It took a while, but I finally learned how to control my _rei_. The transformations come almost at will now."

Haruka puffed another cloud of smoke. "So, this is how you're ending it?"

Noah smiled and turned for the door. "Yeah, it has to end like this. Some of the clan still holds to Ichi's style of thinking. That means they believe I killed my old man, and Ichi himself in a way. That means I have to die too." He smiled. "Luckily, I'm already dead." He paused. "Again, come to think of it. It's just better this way."

Haruka puffed her cigarette. "Not for Shinobu." She turned her head as she heard a motorcycle rev. "Hotaru I assume?"

Ken/Noah nodded as he paused by the door. "Shinobu will find someone who will make her forget all about me. I have too much blood on my hands to be worthy of her." He left the teashop and swung up onto the speeding cycle as it passed.

Haruka ground her cigarette butt into the ashtray. "Stupid jackass…"

---

Shinobu retired to her room after cooking dinner. She pulled the large stuffed teddy bear, an exact likeness of the one Ken had won her at Neverland two Christmases ago, off her futon. As she did this, she saw the small envelope she had missed before. She had somehow known what the bear meant and ran before investigating further. She opened the envelope and three things fell out onto her futon.

She opened the letter first. "Naru said she found this after 'Ro busted up the roof. I recognized the writing, it's belongs to a little girl I knew as Shinonome." Shinobu opened second paper and gasped as the memory flooded back. It wasn't her handwriting, but it was very close. She had written this as a little girl along with a drawing of her and her best friend from her summer at the Hinata-sou. "Kenji…Ken…"

She picked up the third object, a small cell phone. She looked through the features and found no numbers to call, but there were two files stored in the voice memory. She opened the first file.

Ken's voice was a bit different from what she remembered, but she could tell it was Ken as he began to speak. "Hey Shinobu. Sorry I'm not here in person, but, well, I suck at good byes and didn't want to make a fool of myself." He chuckled. "But I guess it's a bit late for that, _ne_?"

Shinobu chuckled as well.

"Have you ever read a manga in which the guy saves the world and loses the girl? And that girl decides to wait for him for nearly forever."

Shinobu nodded even though no one was there. Truth be told, she rather liked those stories because they showed how much the girl cared in Shinobu's opinion.

"I hate those stories. Not fair to the girl. I guess what I'm saying is, don't wait for me Shinobu." Ken continued. "I'm sorry to break the promise I made with you as a kid, when I knew you as Shinonome, and again as an adult. You were so much the same, yet so different as well, so I didn't say anything. I didn't want you to think you had to hold to that promise if you had found someone else dear to you." He paused and laughed lightly. "At least the second time around I got your real name. But then again, I gave you a fake name instead. Probably set things back a bit."

There was silence for a time and Shinobu thought that the recording was over.

Ken continued. "About the only thing I can tell you now is that I'm sorry from the bottom of my heart for all I've put you through. You asked me if you could hear the song I wrote the night we stayed at the Four Seasons in Tokyo. It's the only thing left I can give you. Good-bye Shinobu."

The message ended and Shinobu sat quietly for a moment. Then she played the second voice memory. Again Ken's voice came into being.

_Walking alone, My revolution_

_Through oh so many encounters, I have found_

_Kindness…and heartbreak…_

_The canvas spread open in my heart_

_Gets torn and dirty sometimes, but_

_Painted on it are_

_Fleeting feelings_

_Your voice, your hair…_

_Even if a thousand years pass_

_I'll still remember them_

_For as many years as there are stars_

_That day…Tomorrow…_

_Please remember them more_

_I will not erase you from my memory_

_Forever full up my love_

_This generation has fought on and on_

_Hiding a rainbow-colored strength_

_Behind smiles, searching for something…_

_Your eyes, your fingertips…_

_Even if they were reborn, I could still search for them_

_For as many years as there are stars_

_I have love, I have dreams_

_But all the feelings I can't change build up_

_And I want to live with you_

_Forever full up my love_

_Weaving through my hair…Orion above me…_

_As if to deny my feelings_

_I can feel you in the distance…_

_(Instrumental)_

Shinobu listened to the song and tears began to fall from her eyes. She ran from her room to the roof, ignoring the looks the others gave her along the way. The phone continued to sing its song. She climbed up to the spot she met Ken as a child, and again as a young woman.

"I don't care if you hate that kind of manga!" She yelled into the night. She cupped her hands around her mouth and yelled again into the night. "I'm going to wait right here until you come back!" She sang along as the song's chorus repeated for the final time.

_Your voice, your hair…_

_Even if a thousand years pass_

_I'll still remember them_

_For as many years as there are stars_

_That day…Tomorrow…_

_Please remember them more_

_I will not erase you from my memory_

_Forever full up my love_

She stayed there until the moon disappeared, leaving only the stars above. Their dim light framing her face as Shinobu smiled into the night despite the tears on her face. Her eyes sparkled once again. "I can feel you in the distance too…"

A figure in the trees watched silently until she lay down on the roof and fell asleep. Once he was certain she would be ok, he leapt and disappeared into the fading shadows. The only evidence he left of his presence were the few drops of moisture on his former perch, and even those faded in time.

End

Good? Bad? Other? Tell me what you think.

Name meanings

Shinonome – dawn or daybreak

Shinobu – to conceal one's (true) self, to remember or recollect, to endure, and the smiling dawn

Aijou – beloved daughter

A/N: Oh yeah, I don't own the rights to "Dearest" from the Martian Successor Nadesico movie, The Prince of Darkness either. That's the translated lyrics above; it sounds incredible in the original Japanese. If you haven't heard it, try to. If you can't find it anywhere, e-mail me or IM me and I'll send you a copy of it.

All finished and, well, bitter sweet ending won. But to be honest I've got quite a sweet tooth. That and I'm a Shinobu otaku. :) I know I said this was the final chapter. I know I said I was ending it here. And I am ending the story here. After all, an epilogue isn't really part of the official story, right? ;-P

'Till the next, live well all!__


	22. Epilogue: A Wedding

A/N: Yeah, yeah, I know. I'm a stinking liar. But I couldn't leave Shinobu in that situation. So here it is the final ending.

Thanks again to everyone who has kept me company through reviews, e-mails, IM, and everything else that has kept up my motivation to finish this through. (Bows deeply) Couldn't have done it with out you all.

Thanks to watanuki who reviewed every single chapter. Haven't had anyone do that yet.

Special thanks to walkswithwraiths, and my friend in bio (we really need to get you another name ;-P) for their support. Both with the fic and other stuff too.

Love Hina: Healing Hearts

Disclaimer: I don't own Love Hina.

Epilogue

"No! No! No!" Shinobu waived her spatula threateningly at Su. "The appetizers go on the left table! Not in your mouth!"

The tanned princess laughed as only she could and popped another handful of snacks into her mouth before running off.

"Kitsune! What the hell are you doing!?" Demanded Motoko.

The resident fox blinked as she looked at the young kendo enthusiast. "Saburo and I hanging the lights for the dance after the big ceremony."

Saburo trained his good eye on Motoko and nodded. "Need the nice lights to make everything else look nice too."

Motoko ground her teeth in frustration. "But they were supposed to go out in the back where the actual party will be!"

Moriko patted the older woman on the shoulder. "Chill, remember to breath there girl." Moriko nodded up to Saburo. "Take the lights down and bring them to the back. I'll fix them up. Ok?"

Saburo nodded and began to unstring the lights.

Kitsune climbed down from her ladder. "But what if it rains?"

"Not to worry." Amaya rolled through the room with a pile of seating arrangements on her lap. "My legs may be useless, but my _chi_ is as strong as it ever was." She smiled. "No falling water will upset today's festivities."

Sora came in from the back yard. She had been given the task of blowing out all the dead leaves leftover from autumn. Even with her wind powers, that was a huge task with such a large area. She poured herself some punch and gulped it down.

"That's for later!" Shinobu yelled as she chased Sora from the punch bowl at the large center table.

Sora picked some cooking batter from her hair left courtesy of Shinobu's spatula. "Damn, what's her problem?"

Hotaru smiled. "You'd be a little upset too if you had to cook for so many people and the help kept eating everything in sight."

Sora blinked. "I had one glass of punch! One!"

Hotaru nodded. "But remember that big display Shinobu put out before?"

The older Ashura nodded.

Hotaru grinned again. "Well, Su, Kitsune, Sarah, and I kind of ate most of it…"

Sora pounded her little sister in the head. "So it's your fault she's all psycho!"

Hotaru rubbed the comically large bump on her head. "Hey! The others helped too!"

"Hey!"

The girls turned as Sarah tossed them some seating placards.

Sarah gave each of them a dirty look. "You dorks going to fight all day? Or maybe you'd like to help out with the rest of us?"

The girls grumbled and got back to work.

---

Shinobu sighed as she entered the kitchen. She couldn't help but laugh lightly as she watched her assistant try and complete her recipe.

The young girl stood atop her stool and reached in vain for the sugar that was just out of her reach. Finally, she jumped down from her stool, pushed it over a few feet, and climbed up to attain her prize, the elusive bag of sugar. She hopped down again from her stool while holding the sugar. However she forgot to compensate for the extra weight see was carrying and fell backwards, the sugar dumping into her lap and onto the floor. She sat staring at the mess and tears began to form in her eyes.

Shinobu moved in quickly to comfort the small girl. "Don't cry Aijou, its ok." Shinobu helped the girl to stand and dusted the remaining sugar off the small child.

Aijou brushed her auburn hair from her face and continued to cry. "No it's not! That was the last bag of sugar we had! Now I can't finish my cookies for Mommy and Daddy!"

Shinobu smiled. "Well, we'll just have to go out and get some more won't we?" Shinobu watched as the young girl lifted her head, revealing her deep, brown eyes. Shinobu marveled at how much those eyes looked like Keitaro's.

The little girl sniffed back her tears. "Really?"

Shinobu nodded. "Go get your shoes." She smiled as Aijou ran off happily.

---

Shinobu's mind wandered as she walked to the store with Aijou. It had been nearly five years since she had moved back into the Hinata-sou. Meaning that it had been nearly seven since Ken had vanished from her life. Despite this enormous length of time, she had held fast to her roof top declaration from so many nights ago. The others had respected that at first, but now they were beginning to worry about her. Everyone else seemed to have moved on, accepting his decision.

They worried that Shinobu couldn't, and it would harm her health. However, it was opposite that was proving true. She was taking better care of herself than ever before. Thanks to Sempai and Naru, her grades were in the top ten percentiles. She had even been accepted to Toudai recently after her second try. Her body, like her mind, had also been extensively trained. She had even managed to beat Motoko in a spar, even if it was only that one time. The truth of the matter was, she was content to wait for Ken's return, and would keep herself in good health to make sure she saw that day. The fact that Hotaru had returned last year without warning convinced Shinobu that Ken would soon do the same.

"Naru has Keitaro." Shinobu reasoned silently. "Haruka has Seta. Su has Motoko…and Kanako too I suppose. Though I'm still not sure how that one worked out. Kitsune and Saburo have become quite close too recently. And Mutsumi said she met someone nice at a convention at Toudai recently. They were all patient, so I will be too."

---

As they left the grocery, Aijou stopped. There was a small music store just across the street. "Auntie Shinobu? Do you think we could stop there for a moment?"

Shinobu glanced at her watch. "_Hai_, we have a little time left." They crossed the street and entered the store. Music played softly in the background as Shinobu looked through the titles on display. She kept an eye out for Aijou as she also scanned the CD's. A few minutes later Aijou made her purchase and the two women left the store. Shinobu questioned the girl on her selection as the walked home.

Aijou held up the CD cover. "He's from America and he's really cute, but that's not why I bought this."

Shinobu blinked. "Then why?"

Aijou smiled. "There's a song that he does that's really pretty. I want to play it for Mommy and Daddy tonight."

Shinobu smiled. "I'm sure they'll love it."

---

As the two girls climbed the final steps of the apartments, Aijou paused and cocked her head. "Is someone there?"

Shinobu turned and looked around. "There's no one here Aijou. Now hurry before your parents return home or you won't finish your cookies in time."

Normally, such a statement would spur the six-year-old Aijou to her task, but not this time. "I'll be there in a minute Auntie Shinobu. I thought I heard someone."

Shinobu took one last look around, and deciding it was safe, she nodded. As she turned to walk away, a thought came to her. "Now I understand what Haruka was always saying. Being called Auntie really does make you feel old."

Aijou waited until Shinobu had left and then turned to the trees again. "Hello…"

---

Shinobu looked around the back yard and decided finally that the preparations were all set. She nodded to Haruka, who in turn prodded Seta up to the alter. Shinobu nodded and Aijou began to walk down the aisle towards the alter, dropping a handful of sakura blossoms every few feet.

At last Naru began to walk down the aisle, and the wedding began at last. She smiled, as Keitaro couldn't seem to stop grinning at her. Aijou turned and stood next to her father, also smiling. At last she reached the wedding alter and took Keitaro's arm.

Seta smiled at his former student and his former part timer. He ran through his obligatory speech and asked the needed questions.

"I do." Stated Keitaro.

"I do." Replied Naru.

Aijou simply smiled at her parents.

Seta smiled. "I now pronounce you husband and wife."

"Kiss her!" Yelled Kitsune from the crowd.

Keitaro leaned in and tipped Naru backwards and kissed her deeply, causing the assembled crowd to cheer them on.

---

Shinobu sat at her table watching the others as they gathered to catch Naru's bouquet.

"Hey! What are you doing?" Yelled Hotaru. "Come on!"

Shinobu shook her head. "Not this time. You go catch it instead."

Aijou stopped as she ran past her 'aunt'. "But you need to go catch the bouquet!" Aijou grabbed Shinobu's hand and tried to pull her up. "My friend in the trees said it was very important!"

Shinobu blinked in confusion. "Friend in the trees?" She relented at last and pushed her way into crowd of women vying for the flowers that were to be thrown. Shinobu watched as Naru turned around and tossed the floral arrangement over her shoulder. Shinobu reached out for the flowers, but saw that they would fall far short of where she was standing. She sighed and began to pull back.

Off to the side, someone made a quick gesture with his hand.

Shinobu watched in confusion as the bouquet seemed to gain a boost in mid air and dropped right into her hand. "How…?"

The women vacated the floor and were quickly replaced by the young bachelors who were egger to catch the garter that Keitaro would throw.

Naru waved a warning finger at her husband as he bent down to retrieve her garter. "I'm warning you Keitaro. If anything besides that garter comes down, Aijou will be an only child.

Keitaro sweat dropped and laughed nervously. Miraculously, he retrieved the small piece of fabric without incident, and tossed it out over his shoulder.

Shinobu watched as the garter fell, but didn't see who caught it. She watched as crowd of men dispersed, but still saw no one claiming to have won. She waited as the DJ announced the first dance for Keitaro and Naru. She couldn't help but sigh as she watched the two newly-weds dance across the floor. She saw Aijou run up to the DJ and hand him the CD she bought earlier. Shinobu wondered what the little girl was up to.

The first slow dance ended, and the DJ announced that the next song was for the winners who had caught the bouquet and garter.

Shinobu slowly made her way out to the dance floor, but no one came to join her. The song began to play, and Shinobu's eyes went wide. She spun as she heard someone behind her.

He smiled and placed the flower he held, a plum blossom, gently behind her ear.

Shinobu couldn't believe the image she saw before her.

The young man smiled, his green eyes sparkling as he began to sing in time with the song.

_Your voice, your hair…_

_Even if a thousand years pass_

_I'll still remember them_

_For as many years as there are stars_

_That day…Tomorrow…_

_Please remember them more_

_I will not erase you from my memory_

_Forever full up my love_

Shinobu rapped her arms around him, and vowed silently to never let him go again.

He wrapped his arms around her. "Now, forever, and always. _Aishiteru Shinobu-chan._"

---

Two children played in the old sandbox near the Hinata-sou. The older child was a girl with auburn hair and deep brown eyes. The younger was a boy with tan skin, green eyes, and dark blue hair.

"Hey," The girl called out. "Did you know about the magic that connects all the people who live in the Hinata-sou?"

The young boy shook his head, and listened to her story.

End

For real this time.

A/N: That's it for this one. I'm leaving it open on the ending just in case I want to write a sequel to it later, though I doubt that I will, but it's there if I want to. If anyone else wants to continue with this idea, just e-mail me so I don't feel like you stole it. Anyway, done with this one, got a few one-shots I want to try to piece out before I start my next multipart story. Sorry wraiths, gotta wait a bit longer.

The plum blossom that Ken gave Shinobu, from what I know, plum blossoms, or _ume_, are symbols of everlasting devotion. Just a little tidbit for your brain.

So, leave a review if you wish. And until next we meet, live well and be safe. And if there's someone you care for, tell them, you never know when you'll run out of opportunities. That's something I've learned lately.

Later.


End file.
